MOODY  IN  CHICAGO 


OR 

THE  WORLD'S   FAIR  GOSPEL  CAMPAIGN 

AN   ACCOUNT  OF 

SIX    MONTHS'   EVANGELISTIC  WORK    IN 
THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO  AND  VICINITY 
DURING  THE  TIME  OF  THE  WORLD'S 
COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION,  CON- 
DUCTED BY  DWIGHT  L. 
MOODY  AND  HIS 
ASSOCIATES 


BY  THE 

REV.  H.  B.  HARTZLER 


FLEMING    H.   REVELL   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1894, 
BY  FLEMING  H.  EEVELL  COMPANY. 


TO  DWIGHT  L.  MOODY 

AND   HIS  FAITHFUL  FELLOW -LABORERS, 

AND  TO  THE  WIDELY  SCATTERED   THOUSANDS  IN  THE  OLD  WORLD 

AND   THE   NEW  WHO   HEARD   THE  WORD   OF  LIFE  FROM  THEIR 

LIPS  DURING  THE  WORLD'S  FAIR  EVANGELISTIC  CAMPAIGN, 

THIS    BOOK    IS    AFFECTIONATELY   AND    GRATEFULLY 

DEDICATED  BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


c- 


A  PREFATORY  WORD 

SINCE  the  spring  and  summer  of  America's  memorable 
Columbian  Year  all  the  world  has  heard  about  Chicago, 
the  World's  Fair,  and  the  evangelistic  movement  asso- 
ciated with  both,  under  command  of  Dwight  L.  Moody. 
Fragments  of  the  history  of  the  eventful  six  months  have 
gone  abroad  on  the  wings  of  the  press  and  by  the  mouths 
of  the  visitors,  whithersoever  they  returned  to  their  homes, 
even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Those  who  came  and  saw 
and  heard  for  themselves  could  at  best  see  and  know  only 
in  part,  for  the  colossal  whole  was  too  great  for  compre- 
hension during  the  exciting  days  of  a  brief  visit.  Those 
who  did  not  come  had  their  curiosity  still  more  deeply 
stirred  by  what  they  heard  from  others  and  read  in  the 
papers.  For  both  classes  alike  it  was  desirable  to  secure 
reliable  and  sufficient  published  accounts  for  themselves 
and  others.  This  want  has  been  well  met,  so  far  as  the 
city  and  the  World's  Fair  are  concerned,  with  a  variety  of 
publications,  pictorial  and  descriptive. 

But  nothing  has  yet  been  written  to  answer  the  numer- 
ous and  multiplying  requests  for  information  concerning 
the  extraordinary  religious,  spiritual  movement  which  ran 
parallel  with  the  Fair,  and  which  has  accomplished  more 
valuable  and  lasting  results  for  Chicago  and  the  world 
than  the  beautiful  "  White  City,"  with  all  its  surpassing 
splendor  and  glory.  The  demand  for  some  intelligible 
account  of  that  movement  is  a  reasonable  one.  There  are 


6  A  PEE TA  TOE  Y   WORD 

many  thousands  of  grateful  men  and  women  who  have 
come  in  contact  with  it  and  received  spiritual  benefit  there- 
by ;  there  are  others  who  participated  in  it  to  some  extent ; 
and  still  other  thousands  who  know  of  it  only  from  hear- 
say and  from  fragmentary  notices  in  the  papers.  To  all 
of  these  a  brief  history  of  the  work  would  be  welcome  and 
useful.  It  is  to  meet  this  demand,  in  response  to  special 
requests,  and  with  the  hope  of  doing  good  by  still  further 
extending  the  influence  of  the  gospel  work  herein  de- 
scribed, that  this  brief  record  has  been  prepared. 

It  is  due  to  the  writer,  in  presenting  this  volume  to 
the  public,  to  state  that  its  preparation  was  undertaken, 
by  special  request,  with  the  intention  of  writing,  at  first 
hand,  a  systematic,  orderly  account  of  the  six  months' 
work  of  the  campaign,  from  his  own  point  of  view,  and 
mainly  from  his  own  observation  and  experience.  But 
on  second  thought  it  has  seemed  more  desirable  to  let  the 
reader  have  the  benefit  of  the  observations  and  conclu- 
sions of  other  capable  participants  and  witnesses  also, 
which  were  reported  when  the  fresh  glow  of  the  move- 
ment was  upon  their  hearts,  even  though  the  same  ground 
be  traversed  more  than  once  by  so  doing. 

It  is  due  to  the  several  writers  and  speakers  whose 
material  has  been  thus  freely  appropriated  from  various 
periodicals  to  say  that  the  writer  has  ventured  to  take 
the  liberty  to  make  such  corrections,  changes,  or  additions 
as  have  seemed  to  him  desirable  in  adapting  it  to  his 
purpose,  and  would  herewith  gratefully  acknowledge  his 
obligations  to  the  respected  friends  for  the  valuable  help 
thus  obtained. 

Still  another  prefatory  word  should  be  said.  The  reader 
must  not  expect  to  find  in  these  pages  a  complete  account 
of  the  manifold  details  of  the  evangelistic  campaign.  Two 
thousand  pages  would  not  suffice  to  contain  such  an  ac- 


A   PEEFATORT  WORD  1 

count.  It  is  believed  that  this  book,  as  it  is,  will  serve  a 
better  purpose  than  would  one  drawn  up  on  a  larger  scale 
and  with  a  wider  compass.  In  this  confidence,  with  the 
hope  that  it  may  bear  the  echoes  and  the  lessons  of  the 
great  movement  into  the  hearts  of  multitudes*,  and  multi- 
ply to  them  the  blessings  already  made  manifest  therein, 
this  little  volume  is  trustfully  committed  to  the  Hand 
that  guides  all  things  to  their  destined  end. 

H.  B.  HARTZLER. 

EAST  NOKTHFIELD,  MASS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  CITY  AND  THE  EVANGELIST 11 

II.  THE  NEED  AND  DIFFICULTY 15 

III.  THE  WORK  PROPOSED  AND  PRAYED  FOR 19 

IV.  THE  CAMPAIGN  COMMENCED 23 

V.  LIGHT  IN  A  DARK  PLACE 28 

VI.  INTO  THE  HAYMARKET 31 

VII.  MORE  WORK  AND  WORKERS 35 

VIII.  PREACHING-PLACES — MANAGEMENT 40 

IX.  AT  HEADQUARTERS — SPECIMEN  MEETING 43 

X.  IN  CIRCUS  AND  HALL 49 

XI.  Two  SPECIMEN  DAYS 54 

XII.  GLIMPSES  OF  A  MONTH'S  WORK 62 

XIII.  PRESENTED  AT  NORTHFIELD 69 

XIV.  A  HAYMARKET  MEETING 76 

XV.  IN  THE  EMPIRE  THEATER 82 

XVI.  FROM  EMPIRE  TO  STANDARD  THEATER 86 

XVII.  GOOD  CHEER — PROGRESS — OBJECT-LESSON 89 

XVIII.  A  NEW  DEPARTURE 95 

XIX.  NOTES  OF  THE  FIFTH  MONTH 102 

XX.  AN  IMPRESSIVE  MEETING 108 

XXI.  A  SPECIAL  SOLDIERS'  MEETING 112 

XXII.  IN  VARIOUS  LANGUAGES 119 

XXIII.  GLIMPSES  OF  TENT  WORK 126 

XXIV.  INCIDENTS  OF  TENT  WORK 134 

XXV.  ONE  OF  THE  TENT  WORKERS 138 

9 


10  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXVI.  WORK  AMONG  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE 141 

XXVII.  WITH  THE  GOSPEL  WAGON 153 

XXVIII.  THE  CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE 158 

XXIX.  THE  LAST  MONTH 177 

XXX.  THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE 184 

XXXI.  DRAWING  TO  ITS  CLOSE 202 

XXXII.  SIXTEEN  QUESTIONS  ANSWERED 229 

XXXIII.  TORREY'S  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW 234 

XXXIV.  CONCLUDING  ESTIMATES..                                            .  250 


WORLD'S  FAIR  CAMPAIGN 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CITY  AND  THE  EVANGELIST. 

FIFTY  years  ago  an  English  writer  characterized  the 
nineteenth  centuiy  as  "  the  age  of  great  cities."  It  was 
true  then;  it  is  most  startlingly  true  now.  Since  that 
writer's  day  the  comparative  growth  of  city  population 
has  been  rapid  beyond  all  precedent  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  Year  by  year  the  tributary  streams  of  life  pour- 
ing into  the  great  city  centers  have  been  growing  deeper, 
fuller,  stronger,  draining  away  the  rural  population  in 
larger  proportion  than  ever  before.  It  is  one  of  the  strik- 
ing and  significant  phenomena  of  our  time. 

It  has  always  been  true  that  the  controlling  agencies  and 
influences  of  civilization  have  been  centered  and  massed 
in  the  cities.  It  is  more  tremendously  true  to-day  than 
ever  before.  The  city,  in  the  language  of  Dr.  Josiah 
Strong,  is  "the  Gibraltar  of  civilization."  It  is  "the 
strategic  point"  for  all  movements  upon  society,  for  weal 
or  for  woe.  "It  is  the  mighty  heart  of  the  body  politic, 
which  sends  its  streams  of  life  pulsating  to  the  very  finger- 
tips of  the  whole  land ;  and  when  the  blood  becomes  poi- 
soned, it  poisons  every  fiber  of  the  whole  body."  In  the 

11 


12  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

cities  are  massed  and  intrenched  in  greatest  strength  the 
giant  enemies  that  threaten  our  civilization.  These  ene- 
mies more  than  keep  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  cities, 
and  the  peril  and  the  menace  increase  year  by  year. 
Among  the  great  perils  confronting  us  everywhere,  but 
concentrated  in  the  cities,  and  therefore  greatly  enhanced 
there,  Dr.  Strong  specifies  especially  "  wealth,  its  worship 
and  its  congestion,  anarchism  and  lawlessness,  intemper- 
ance and  the  liquor  power,  immigration  and  a  supersti- 
tious Christianity."  In  face  of  these  facts,  conditions,  and 
perils  the  special  need  and  supreme  importance  of  city 
evangelization  need  no  argument. 

The  present  is  not  only  the  age  of  great  cities,  it  is 
also  the  age  of  Christian  evangelism.  Never  has  the  open 
field  of  the  world  been  so  extensively  and  systematically 
invaded  by  evangelistic  agencies  as  now.  Evangelistic 
leaders,  lay  and  clerical,  have  become  a  vast  army.  There 
is  hardly  a  city  or  large  town  in  our  land,  or  in  Christen- 
dom, that  has  not  experienced  the  sensation  of  concen- 
trated and  continuous  evangelistic  effort,  and  hardly  a 
church,  or  other  Christian  agency,  that  has  not  felt  the 
stimulus  and  reaped  more  or  less  beneficial  results  there- 
from. 

The  ways  and  means  of  evangelistic  effort  have  been  as 
various  as  the  evangelists  and  the  conditions  under  which 
they  have  prosecuted  their  labors.  But  as  the  result  of 
years  of  such  labors  by  hundreds  of  evangelists,  especially 
in  the  cities,  they  have  come  to  an  almost  uniform  general 
course  of  procedure  wherever  an  extensive  work  has  been 
undertaken.  The  aim  has  been,  first  of  all,  to  secure  the 
cooperation  of  the  churches,  to  revive  their  own  piety  and 
zeal,  and,  if  practicable,  unite  and  prepare  their  forces  for 
an  organized  movement  upon  the  unsaved  masses.  After 
every  such  campaign  the  evangelistic  leader  would  depart 


THE   CITY  AND   THE  EVANGELIST  13 

to  other  fields,  leaving  to  the  revived  churches  the  care 
of  the  converts,  and  any  further  prosecution  of  the  work, 
according  to  their  own  pleasure.  In  the  city  of  Chicago, 
under  the  peculiar  and  extraordinary  conditions  of  the 
World's  Fair  season,  the  usual  means  and  methods  would 
not  apply.  A  new  line  of  action  had  to  be  taken,  for 
which  the  history  of  evangelism  furnished  no  precedent, 
unless  it  was  in  the  pentecostal  meeting  in  Jerusalem. 

The  first  evangelistic  movement  of  the  present  dispen- 
sation, under  immediate  divine  direction,  was  started  in  a 
great  cosmopolitan  city  center,  the  capital  of  the  Jewish 
nation.  It  was  an  occasion  when  vast  multitudes  of  visi- 
tors, from  all  parts  of  the  earth,  had  overflowed  the  city 
and  doubled  its  population.  It  was  a  time  of  special  in- 
terest and  excitement,  and  of  unusual  activity,  when  the 
people  had  eyes  and  ears  for  anything  that  was  to  be  seen 
and  heard.  The  time,  the  place,  the  conditions,  all  were 
favorable  to  the  inauguration  of  the  new  movement. 

After  the  first  blow  had  been  struck  in  that  city  center, 
and  the  saving  impression  had  been  made  upon  the  great 
multitude,  the  visiting  thousands  from  other  lands  and 
cities  returned  with  the  new  story  and  the  new  sensation 
to  their  own  homes.  Then  followed  an  outward  move- 
ment, directed  by  the  enthroned  Christ  himself,  for  the 
evangelization  of  the  world.  In  widening  circles,  rolling 
out  from  the  city  center,  the  new  force  invaded  the  expec- 
tant nations.  Beginning  in  one  great  city,  it  followed  a 
line  of  movement  that  struck  through  the  hearts  of  other 
great  cities,  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome.  The  flame,  burst- 
ing out  suddenly  in  the  Jewish  metropolis,  after  the  pre- 
pentecostal  pause,  kindled  successively  the  cities  of  Anti- 
och,  Ephesus,  Athens,  Corinth,  and  Rome.  There  were 
the  central  fires  lighted  and  kept  burning  for  the  illumi- 
nation of  the  nations. 


14  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

The  marvelous  story  of  that  first  Christian  evangeli- 
zation movement  is  preserved  for  us  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  that  we  may  see  and  know,  once  for  all,  the 
divine  thought  and  method  working  out  before  our  eyes. 
In  grand  outline  it  is  the  chart  along  whose  clearly  traced 
lines  the  organized  movements  of  Christian  world-conquest 
are  to  be  conducted  to  the  end  of  the  age.  In  that  genesis 
of  the  new  dispensation  lie  the  germs  and  roots  of  all  its 
development,  the  principles  of  its  life  and  action,  even  to 
the  consummation  foreseen  and  foretold  by  the  guiding 
Spirit  of  God.  There  is  an  unerring,  superintending 
Providence  over  all.  As  there  were  in  the  first  days,  so 
there  are  in  these  latter  days,  prepared  places,  opportune 
times,  favoring  conditions,  divine  intimations  and  tokens, 
which  it  needs  only  the  ready,  open-eyed,  Spirit-guided 
disciple  to  see  and  to  take  advantage  of,  in  order  to  realize 
the  same  results.  God  must  have  his  own  way  still,  and 
the  secret  of  power  lies  in  human  cooperation  with  him. 
that  his  will  may  be  done. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  NEED  AND   DIFFICULTY. 

ALL  men  everywhere  need  salvation,  and  salvation  in 
the  gospel  is  offered  to  all.  The  city  needs  it ;  the  country 
needs  it.  There  is  no  difference.  That  there  are  more 
people  in  the  city  than  in  the  country  makes  no  difference 
as  to  the  need  of  the  individual.  But  the  aggregation  of 
individuals  in  the  cities  creates  perils  on  the  one  hand, 
and  offers  opportunities  on  the  other,  which  call  for  evan- 
gelistic efforts  on  a  larger  scale,  of  a  more  comprehensive 
character,  not  alone  for  the  salvation  of  the  individual 
sinner  and  the  edification  of  the  individual  believer,  but 
also  for  the  salvation  of  society  itself.  An  invasion  of  a 
wicked  city  by  bold,  aggressive,  evangelistic  forces,  flash- 
ing the  uncompromising  truth  of  God  into  the  faces  of 
the  selfish,  preoccupied  multitudes,  piercing  the  darkness 
with  its  startling  light  of  eternity,  may  save  it  from  cor- 
ruption and  destruction  by  the  very  shock  of  the  new 
sensation.  This  awakening,  alarming  invasion  is  the  cry- 
ing need  of  the  cities  in  these  fearfully  intense  days,  when 
selfishness,  greed,  avarice,  oppression,  lust,  vice,  and  crime 
are  driving  on  with  electric  power  and  speed,  regardless 
and  almost  oblivious  of  the  ordinary,  accustomed  Sabbath- 
day  religious  services  of  the  churches.  The  heedless  city 
must  be  compelled  to  listen,  by  assailing  its  ears  from  un- 
accustomed quarters  and  with  new  voices.  It  is  a  great 
thing  just  to  secure  such  an  arrest  of  thought ;  to  create  a 

15 


16  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

diversion  in  the  direction  of  spiritual  and  eternal  things ; 
to  break  the  lines  and  confuse  the  marching  step  of  the 
great  multitudes  of  the  cities  in  the  awful  unanimity  of 
their  mad  rush  for  self-gratification,  whose  issue  is  self- 
destruction.  This  can  be  accomplished  only  by  extraor- 
dinary efforts,  in  extraordinary  ways,  with  extraordinary 
power. 

Now,  if  this  be  true  of  cities  under  ordinary,  every-day 
conditions,  when  the  currents  of  lif  e  and  activity  are  flow- 
ing on  in  their  accustomed  channels,  much  more  is  the 
need  of  extraordinary  religious  effort  emphasized  when 
those  currents  are  swelled  by  the  inflow  of  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  souls,  till  they  rush  on  with  a  tumultuous 
violence  threatening  an  overflow,  and  drowning  the  accus- 
tomed voices  of  sermon  and  song  in  their  constant  roar, 
as  was  the  case  with  Chicago  during  the  time  of  the 
World's  Fair.  It  is  well  known  that  even  under  ordinary 
circumstances  this  greatest,  richest,  strongest,  most  enter- 
prising city  of  the  West  constitutes  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive, peculiar,  and  difficult  fields  for  evangelistic  work. 
Its  population  of  more  than  1,400,000  souls  embraces  al- 
most all  nationalities  of  the  earth,  and  in  many  cases  the 
worst  types  of  humanity  out  of  those  nationalities.  A 
strong  irreligious  and  antireligious  foreign  and  native 
element  is  always  present  and  potent.  Multitudes  there 
are  "who  never  had  any  religion,  and  who  don't  want 
any,"  and  who  will  not  suffer  anybody  else  to  have  any,  if 
they  can  help  it. 

An  observing  writer,  considering  Chicago  as  a  field  for 
evangelistic  work,  says :  "  The  city  is  full  of  people  who 
once  had  church  relations,  but  since  coming  here  have 
neglected  to  join  a  local  society ;  and  among  the  masses 
there  are  thousands  who  have  broken  their  connections 
with  religious  organizations  on  leaving  Europe  and  never 


THE  NEED  AND   DIFFICULTY  17 

renewed  them.  Then,  too,  the  location  of  the  city  and  its 
character  as  a  commercial  center  bring  in  an  innumerable 
host  of  homeless  men  who  are  under  little  or  no  moral 
restraint/  and  give  pecuniary  support  to  the  most  de- 
graded and  degrading  elements  of  the  community,  as  well 
as  themselves,  constituting  a  powerful  factor  toward  evil. 
That  infidelity  is  wide-spread  and  ignorance  dominant  is 
well  known.  Prejudice  on  the  part  of  the  masses  against 
the  church  is  a  natural  outcome  of  the  industrial  distur- 
bances of  the  day  and  the  attendant  oppression  of  the  poor. 
The  vast  population  of  the  city  and  the  barriers  of  class 
and  race  and  tongue  enhance  the  difficulty  of  evangel- 
istic work,  while  the  need  of  such  effort  is  nowhere  more 
urgent." 

During  the  time  of  the  World's  Fair,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  the  need  and  the  difficulty  of  evangelistic  effort 
were  still  further  increased,  not  only  by  the  constant  ebb 
and  flow  of  the  great  tides  of  respectable  humanity,  but 
especially  by  the  influx  of  the  worst  elements,  reinforcing 
the  idle,  the  vicious,  and  the  criminal  classes  of  the  popu- 
lation. Add  to  this  the  intensified  activities  in  every 
sphere  of  life  and  labor,  and  the  overwhelming,  bewilder- 
ing attractions,  distractions,  and  excitement  of  the  Fair 
and  its  concomitants,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  the 
religious  outlook  for  Chicago  was  anything  but  promising. 
The  most  experienced  and  spiritual  of  the  pastors  and 
people  of  the  city  looked  forward  to  it  with  altogether 
reasonable  misgivings  and  apprehensions.  "It  was  a 
question,"  said  one  of  the  chief  pastors,  "what  was  to 
become  of  us  during  the  six  months.  We  knew  at  best 
it  would  be  a  time  of  great  excitement,  and  what  should 
become  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  churches  we  knew  not." 
They  did  know  that  even  under  ordinary  circumstances 
it  had  been  found  almost  impossible  to  maintain  the  full 


18  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

life  and  activity  of  the  churches  and  the  various  Christian 
agencies  during  the  summer  season.  How  much  less  could 
they  hope  even  to  hold  their  own,  under  the  extraordinary 
circumstances  of  the  season,  to  say  nothing  of  making 
spiritual  conquests  and  gains  of  the  overflowing  multi- 
tudes from  abroad.  Chicago  people,  it  was  said,  would 
have  no  time  to  go  to  religious  meetings,  with  all  their 
extra  work,  business  and  pleasures,  entertainment  of  visi- 
tors, sight-seeing,  and  other  demands  upon  their  time  and 
attention  incident  to  the  season.  And  as  for  the  people 
who  would  visit  Chicago,  it  was  concluded  that  of  course 
they  came  to  see  and  study  the  great  exposition,  and 
certainly  not  to  attend  religious  meetings.  Indeed,  the 
crowds  of  pleasure-seekers  would  be  only  too  glad  to  get 
out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  preachers  and  preaching  for 
a  time. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  it  was  in  full  view  of  all 
these  forbidding  and  discouraging  facts  and  considera- 
tions, against  the  judgment  of  wise  and  good  men,  and 
without  any  warrant  of  precedent,  that  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody 
moved  forward  to  do  what  an  eminent  minister  character- 
ized as  "  the  boldest  and  most  daring  thing  that  had  been 
undertaken  in  connection  with  the  Columbian  Exposition." 
It  was  purely  a  work  of  faith,  undertaken  with  the  convic- 
tion that  it  was  of  God  and  for  God.  Human  misgivings 
and  fears  were  not  admitted  into  the  council.  If  God 
wanted  the  thing  done,  he  could  get  it  done.  He  wanted 
it  done.  It  was  done.  And  so  it  has  come  to  pass  that 
the  red  threads  of  the  great  gospel  campaign  conducted 
by  Mr.  Moody  have  been  interwoven  with  the  history  of 
Chicago,  the  World's  Fair,  and  the  Columbian  Year. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   WORK  PROPOSED  AND  PRAYED   FOR. 

MR.  MOODY  arrived  in  Chicago  in  the  month  of  May, 
1893,  with  his  mind  fully  made  up  to  inaugurate  a  series 
of  meetings  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  which  were 
to  run  parallel  with  the  proposed  six  months'  term  of  the 
World's  Fair.  He  had  but  lately  returned  from  one  of 
the  most  extensive  evangelistic  campaigns  of  his  life,  of 
fourteen  months'  duration,  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland, 
and  the  Orient.  So  far  as  there  was  any  plan  of  the  pro- 
posed movement  in  Chicago,  it  was  laid  up  in  the  secret  of 
his  own  mind.  He  was  not  committed  to  any  published 
program.  As  always  in  his  work,  he  placed  himself  in 
line  with  the  will  of  God,  ready  to  do  the  next  thing, 
whatever  that  might  be. 

The  thought  and  purpose  of  attempting  such  an  un- 
heard-of enterprise  had  been  formed  in  Mr.  Moody's  mind 
long  before  the  World's  Fair  itself  had  become  a  material- 
ized fact.  He  carried  the  matter  on  his  heart  during  his 
long  evangelistic  tours  in  Europe  and  his  trip  to  the  Holy 
Land.  It  was  then  that  he  enlisted  the  help  of  represen- 
tative men  of  Christian  Europe  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
prospective  work.  The  only  thing  concerning  the  pro- 
posed gospel  campaign  which  was  positively  settled  in  his 
mind  was  the  conviction  that  it  was  the  will  of  God  that 
it  should  be  inaugurated.  He  could  well  foresee  that  the 
material  glory  of  the  Fair  would  attract  millions  of  people, 

19 


20 

a  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven,"  and  his  heart  yearned 
and  burned  with  desire  to  make  it  an  opportunity  for  the 
kingdom  of  God,  by  having  the  gospel  preached  with  a 
world-wide  reach  of  influence  and  effect.  It  was  enough 
for  him  to  see  the  finger  of  God,  "in  the  signs  of  the 
times,"  pointing  that  way,  and  he  hesitated  not  a  moment 
to  confer  with  flesh  and  blood.  In  its  conception,  begin- 
ning, and  progress  it  was  therefore  purely  a  work  of  faith 
and  a  labor  of  love.  When  the  time  for  the  actual  work 
had  come,  Mr.  Moody  entered  upon  it  not  only  with  con- 
viction of  the  divine  call,  and  desire  and  zeal  for  the  sal- 
vation of  men,  but  also  as  a  man  under  seal  of  the  most 
solemn  vow,  as  we  learn  from  the  following  reference  to 
his  memorable  experience  on  his  homeward  voyage  from 
Europe,  given  in  a  public  address : 

"  Just  as  I  was  preparing  to  leave  London  the  last  time 
I  was  there,  I  called  upon  a  celebrated  physician,  who 
told  me  that  my  heart  was  weakening,  and  that  I  had  to 
let  up  on  my  work,  that  I  had  to  be  more  careful  of  my- 
self ;  and  I  was  going  home  with  the  thought  that  I  would 
not  work  quite  so  hard.  I  was  on  the  steamer  Spree,  and 
when  the  announcement  came  that  the  vessel  was  sink- 
ing, and  we  were  there  forty-eight  hours  in  a  helpless 
condition,  no  one  on  earth  knows  what  I  passed  through 
during  those  hours,  as  I  thought  that  my  work  was  fin- 
ished, and  that  I  would  never  again  have  the  privilege  of 
preaching  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  And  on  that 
dark  night,  the  first-  night  of  the  accident,  I  made  a  vow 
that  if  God  would  spare  iny  life  and  bring  me  back  to 
America  I  would  come  back  to  Chicago  and  at  this  World's 
Fair  preach  the  gospel  with  all  the  power  that  he  would 
give  me ;  and  God  has  enabled  me  to  keep  that  vow  dur- 
ing the  past  five  months.  It  seems  as  if  I  went  to  the 
very  gates  of  heaven  during  those  forty-eight  hours  on 


TEE    WORK  PROPOSED  AND   PRAYED   FOR  21 

the  sinking  ship,  and  God  permitted  me  to  come  back  and 
preach  Christ  a  little  longer." 

It  is  to  be  noted  also  that  in  England,  Scotland,  and 
Ireland,  the  year  before,  Mr.  Moody  made  public  reference 
to  the  work  he  proposed  to  cariy  on  in  Chicago,  and  asked 
that  God's  children  should  remember  the  undertaking  in 
prayer.  Indeed,  he  seemed  more  concerned  that  it  should 
have  the  assurance  and  support  of  united  prayer  than 
anything  else.  After  his  return  to  America  he  laid  the 
matter  entreatingly  and  earnestly  on  the  hearts  of  Chris- 
tian people,  seeking  a  union  of  fervent  prayer  in  behalf  of 
the  work.  At  Northfield  and  Mount  Hermon  he  gathered 
the  students  and  teachers  of  his  schools  about  him,  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  seek  the  anointing  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  to  pray  for  the  work  to  come.  "  If  you  think 
anything  of  me,"  said  he,  with  choking  voice  and  tear- 
filled  eyes,  "  if  you  have  any  regard  for  me,  if  you  love 
me,  pray  for  me  that  God  may  anoint  me  for  the  work  in 
Chicago.  I  want  to  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  that  I  may 
preach  the  gospel  as  I  never  preached  it  before.  We 
want  to  see  the  salvation  of  God  as  we  have  never  seen  it 
before."  During  the  entire  campaign  there  was  unusual 
stress  laid  on  prayer  as  the  indispensable  condition  of 
success.  It  was  a  campaign  of  prayer  as  much  as  a  cam- 
paign of  preaching  and  of  song.  In  conferences,  churches, 
Christian  societies,  at  family  altars,  and  in  the  closet,  the 
evangelists  and  their  work  were  made  the  subject  of  spe- 
cial prayer.  By  some  means  an  almost  world- wide  inter- 
est and  sympathy  in  the  movement  were  created,  with  a 
wonderful  passion  and  concord  of  prayer  in  its  behalf,  as 
if  God  himself  had  laid  the  burden  upon  thousands  of 
hearts,  afar  and  near.  The  fact  was  accepted  as  God's 
gracious  token  and  pledge  of  favor  and  blessing. 

Not  only  did  the  leaders  in  the  campaign  pray  without 


22  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

ceasing,  but  they  labored  to  bring  the  people  into  the  same 
spirit.  Prayer  was  the  prominent  exercise  in  the  meet- 
ings. Special  seasons  of  prayer  were  also  observed.  The 
first  day  of  the  month  of  August  was  marked  by  a  meet- 
ing for  humiliation  and  prayer,  which  was  held  in  the 
Empire  Theater,  and  which  Mr.  Moody  characterized  as 
one  of  the  best  he  ever  attended.  The  afternoon  of  the 
1st  of  September  was  signalized  in  the  same  way,  by  a 
meeting  in  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  to  which  the  min- 
isters of  the  city  and  all  praying  people  were  invited.  A 
large  congregation  assembled,  and  for  one  hour  waited 
before  the  Lord  in  prayer,  uniting  in  spirit  with  petitions 
uttered  by  English,  Scotch,  American,  Swedish,  and  Ger- 
man voices.  It  was  as  though  the  suppliants  said :  "  Here 
we  raise  our  Ebenezer.  Hither  by  thy  help,  O  Lord,  we 
have  come.  And  by  thy  good  pleasure  we  hope  to  have 
a  yet  more  prosperous  month  in  work  for  thee.  We  claim 
thy  promised  presence,  power,  and  grace.  We  rest  in 
thee." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  CAMPAIGN  COMMENCED. 

AT  the  corner  of  La  Salle  and  Chicago  Avenues  stands 
the  well-known  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  better  known  as 
"  Moody's  Church,"  which  owes  its  existence  to  the  labors 
of  the  evangelist.  It  is  a  large,  substantial  brick  build- 
ing, with  a  seating  capacity  of  twenty-two  hundred  in  the 
auditorium,  and  almost  equal  space  in  the  lecture-room 
and  class-rooms  on  the  first  floor.  In  the  same  block,  and 
close  to  the  church,  are  the  buildings  of  the  Chicago  Bible 
Institute,  of  which  Mr.  Moody  is  the  founder  and  presi- 
dent. It  was  according  to  the  fitness  of  things  that  the 
opening  meeting  of  the  World's  Fair  Evangelistic  Cam- 
paign should  take  place  in  the  historic  church  established 
by  its  projector  and  leader,  especially  since  the  entire 
work  was  to  be  inseparably  connected  with  the  church 
and  the  Bible  Institute.  It  was  on  the  first  Sunday  in 
May,  a  bright,  beautiful,  auspicious  morning.  The  people 
came  early,  and  soon  the  church  presented  the  familiar 
scene  of  stairways  and  aisles,  gallery  and  floor,  packed 
with  a  solid  mass  of  eager,  earnest  listeners  and  worship- 
ers, with  the  burly  form  of  Mr.  Moody  standing  well  to 
the  front,  surveying  the  throng,  and  directing  all  the  pre- 
liminaries of  the  service,  and  his  not  less  stalwart  co-part- 
ner, Mr.  Sankey,  leading  the  songs. 

On  the  platform,  at  this  first  meeting,  were  seated  such 
well-known  helpers  as  Major  D.  W.  Whittle,  Rev.  R.  A. 

23 


24  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Torrey,  superintendent  of  the  Bible  Institute,  Rev.  T.  B< 
Hyde,  pastor  of  the  church,  and  an  array  of  singers,  in- 
cluding such  leaders  as  Professor  D.  B.  Towner,  H.  H. 
McGranahan,  and  Mrs.  F.  T.  Pierson,  besides  Mr.  Sankey. 

The  introductory  sermon  was  preached  by  Mr.  Moody. 
To  the  surprise  of  many  he  chose  for  his  subject  "  The 
Elder  Brother/'  in  the  story  of  the  prodigal  son.  It  was 
not,  perhaps,  obvious  at  first  why  he  should  have  taken 
such  a  theme  for  such  an  occasion;  but  he  is  not  often 
found  acting  without  a  motive,  and  it  soon  became  evident 
that  his  desire  was  to  disarm  and  condemn  the  prejudices 
which  often  excite  opposition  to  the  work  of  reclaiming 
the  lost. 

"  There  are  quite  a  number  of  such  men,"  he  said,  "  right 
here  in  this  city  to-day ;  they  are  very  religious  in  outward 
observance,  but  they  do  not  know  how  to  sympathize  with 
a  prodigal,  nor  help  those  who  try  to  lift  him  up."  In 
his  own  inimitable  way,  the  preacher  went  on  to  demon- 
strate that  there  is  not  one  of  the  Beatitudes  the  elder 
brother  had  not  violated,  thus  placing  himself  quite  out- 
side the  sphere  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  In  short,  he  was 
the  meanest  man  in  history.  Externally  he  was  all  right, 
internally  he  was  all  wrong,  and  yet  he  resembles  many 
Christians  to-day,  nearer  than  they  suppose.  His  father 
sought  that  both  his  sons  should  be  with  him  ;  and  that  is 
just  what  God  the  Father  wants ;  he  has  room  for  us  all. 
But  many  people  want  the  benefit  of  religion  themselves 
while  they  grudge  it  to  their  neighbors,  and  try  to  secure 
heaven  without  being  identified  with  the  Father  "  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  If  they  cannot  get  it  on  their 
own  terms,  they  "  will  not  go  in."  "  Arise  and  claim  thy 
sonship,  and  hear  thy  Heavenly  Father  say,  'All  that  I  have 
is  thine.' " 

In  the  afternoon  the  church  was  again  filled  with  an 


THE  CAMPAIGN  COMMENCED  25 

expectant  multitude.  Mr.  Moody  again  was  the  speaker. 
At  this  meeting  he  struck  a  different  note.  The  hearts  of 
many  were,  perhaps  not  unnaturally,  turned  in  the  direc- 
tion of  "  prayer,"  but  the  preacher  went  further  than  that, 
and  spoke  upon  "  praise  " — praise  in  anticipation  of  bless- 
ing to  come  during  the  next  weeks.  He  would  have  every 
Christian  heart  in  an  attitude  of  expectancy,  warm  with 
gratitude,  and  strong  in  the  confidence  of  faith.  It  was 
fitting  that  such  a  service  should  consist  largely  of  praise 
expressed  in  song.  Some  of  the  old  familiar  hymns  rolled 
forth  from  two  or  three  thousand  voices,  and  the  singers 
above  named,  with  the  Oberlin  Quartet,  rendered  some  of 
the  most  delightful  of  the  hymns  of  the  heart. 

A  third  meeting  of  the  Sunday  was  held  in  the  same 
church  in  the  evening.  Mr.  Moody's  sermon  was  addressed 
especially  to  the  unsaved.  He  pressed  upon  them  the 
pleading  appeal  and  the  sweet  promise  of  Isaiah  Iv.  7. 

At  the  same  hour  the  gospel  was  preached  and  sung  in 
Dr.  Goodwin's  Congregational  Church,  by  Major  Whittle 
and  Mr.  Sankey,  and  in  La  Salle  Avenue  Baptist  Church, 
by  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey,  with  Professor  Towner  and  Mrs. 
Pierson.  Services  were  also  conducted  by  numerous  stu- 
dents from  the  Bible  Institute  in  different  districts.  These 
were,  of  course,  all  in  affiliation  with  Mi*.  Moody's  cam- 
paign, but  it  was  also  very  gratifying  to  learn  that  the 
churches  generally  throughout  the  city  were  exceptionally 
well  attended — an  indication  that  among  the  World's  Fair 
visitors  there  were  many  whose  delight  was  in  the  things 
of  God. 

In  the  meetings  of  the  opening  Sunday  could  be  plainly 
discerned  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  movement  of  which 
they  were  the  beginning.  During  the  week  following, 
without  special  tokens  of  interest  or  encouragement,  a 
series  of  praise  services  were  held  in  the  Chicago  Avenue 


26  WOELD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Church,  as  though  the  difficult  and  daring  undertaking 
had  already  been  accomplished.  It  is  probable  that  even 
amidst  circumstances  which  to  others  seemed  forbidding 
and  discouraging,  Mr.  Moody  heard  "  the  sound  of  a  go- 
ing," for  he  never  looked  back,  nor  wavered  in  the  calm 
confidence  and  resolute  will  with  which  he  had  come  up 
to  the  work. 

The  second  Sunday  Mr.  Moody  again  preached,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  in  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  and 
conducted  a  praise  and  prayer  service  in  the  afternoon. 
During  the  week  the  meetings  were  multiplied,  the  speak- 
ers being,  besides  Mr.  Moody,  the  venerable  Scotch  mis- 
sionary apostle,  Dr.  John  G.  Paton,  Rev.  Charles  Inwood, 
and  Rev.  Hubert  Brooke.  In  addition  to  the  evangelistic 
evening  meetings,  two  daily  Bible  lectures  were  delivered 
at  the  Bible  Institute  by  Dr.  W.  G.  Moorehead  and  the 
two  speakers  last  named.  Although  a  part  of  the  regular 
daily  program  of  the  Bible  Institute,  these  lectures  con- 
tributed no  small  part  toward  the  sum  total  of  impulse 
and  power  by  which  the  work  of  evangelism  was  carried 
forward,  for  in  the  Bible  Institute  were  assembled  the 
hundreds  of  enlisted  Christian  workers  and  evangelistic 
leaders,  as  well  as  a  host  of  Christian  visitors  from  this 
and  other  lands,  who  needed  the  strong  meat  of  the  Word 
there  set  before  them. 

Mr.  George  E.  Morgan,  of  the  London  Christian,  a  par- 
ticipant in  the  earlier  part  of  the  work,  says  that  during 
the  first  two  weeks  of  his  labors  Mr.  Moody  was  occupied 
in  more  fully  maturing  and  developing  his  plans  for  the 
wide-spread  evangelization  of  Chicago,  as  well  as  for  the 
salvation  and  edification  of  the  strangers  within  her  gates. 
The  need  for  such  effort  was  most  painfully  apparent, 
not  only  to  the  stranger  from  abroad,  but  also  to  those 
residents  who  were  concerned  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of 


THE   CAMPAIGN  COMMENCED  27 

the  city.  "  There  is,"  says  Mr.  Morgan,  "  a  general  slack- 
ness as  to  moral  and  religious  matters  with  which  even 
London  cannot  compare.  The  outward  observance  of  the 
Lord's  Day  is  reduced  to  a  minimum ;  stores  and  shops 
are  open;  work  and  traffic  on  the  streets  and  railways 
going  on ;  everybody  doing  what  he  will  in  this  respect, 
without  let  or  hindrance.  The  theaters  have  perform- 
ances on  Sunday  afternoons  and  evenings ;  and  the  seven 
thousand  saloons  with  which  the  city  is  cursed  are  prac- 
tically open,  the  l  Sunday  closing '  being  confined  to  the 
drawing  down  of  a  window-blind,  while  the  unfastened 
doors  invite  all  comers.  In  short,  the  '  Continental '  Sun- 
day prevails  in  all  its  worst  features." 


CHAPTER  V. 

LIGHT  IN  A  DARK  PLACE. 

FOR  many  years  Mr.  Moody  had  a  particular  section  of 
the  city  laid  upon  his  heart,  and  to  this  his  energies  were 
being  especially  directed  during  the  first  weeks  of  his 
campaign.  It  is  the  section  embracing  the  Haymarket, 
Standard,  and  Empire  theaters,  of  West  Madison  and  Hal- 
stead  Streets,  with  their  saloons,  brothels,  gambling-hells, 
murderers'  dens,  and  all  kinds  of  vile  resorts.  Having 
first  secured  a  four-storied  building,  he  opened  the  ground 
floor  as  a  mission  hall,  the  upper  rooms  being  devoted  to 
sleeping  and  living  accommodation  for  thirty  of  his  stu- 
dents, whom  he  for  the  time  being  quartered  there.  Sit- 
uate on  a  busy,  main  thoroughfare,  West  Madison  Street, 
near  the  Haymarket  and  the  Empire  theaters,  it  could 
hardly  help  attracting  some  of  the  throngs  of  passers-by. 
At  2  P.M.  each  day  the  hall  was  opened  for  singing  and 
conversation,  while  the  neighborhood  was  visited  from 
house  to  house  by  the  rest  of  the  workers  in  view  of  the 
evening's  work.  A  gospel  meeting,  preceded  by  half  an 
hour's  singing,  was  held  from  seven  to  eight,  followed  by 
an  hour  for  private  conversation  with  inquirers.  At 
10  P.M.  a  second  meeting  of  an  hour's  duration  was  held 
by  another  relay  of  workers,  who  also  occupied  an  hour  till 
midnight  in  dealing  with  the  anxious  and  unsaved.  By 
this  means  it  was  hoped  to  reach  those  whose  only  even- 
ing resort  is  the  saloon  bar,  and  the  result  soon  justified 

28 


LIGHT  IN  A   DARK  PLACE  29 

the  hope  and  the  effort.  The  building  is  now  known  as 
Institute  Hall,  and  is  a  permanent  part  of  the  evangeliz- 
ing agencies  of  the  Chicago  Bible  Institute. 

An  observer  well  acquainted  with  Chicago  life  and  work, 
writing  about  the  band  of  workers  connected  with  Insti- 
tute Hall,  says :  "  One  cannot  help  admiring  the  earnest- 
ness and  courage  of  these  young  men  and  women,  who 
go  about  their  work  with  an  enthusiasm  which  ought  to 
be,  if  it  is  not,  contagious  among  Christians  in  Chicago. 
One  day,  as  we  were  returning  by  way  of  Madison  Street, 
we  were  surprised  to  see  a  band  of  these  students  with 
their  organ  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  Institute  Hall,  one 
of  the  headquarters  of  their  work,  singing  to  the  immense 
crowds  coming  and  going  along  this  crowded  thoroughfare 
on  Saturday  evening,  the  liveliest  of  the  week.  After  a 
service  of  song  on  the  sidewalk  they  held  their  regular 
evening  meeting  in  their  audience-room,  which  is  a  store 
opening  on  to  the  street,  appropriately  arranged  with  a 
raised  platform  at  the  front  of  the  hall  for  speakers,  sing- 
ers, and  the  organ,  mottoes  or  texts  upon  the  walls,  with 
electric  fans  for  ventilation,  well  lighted  and  seated,  and 
seemingly  as  well  managed,  while  the  location  could  not 
be  better,  it  being  on  one  of  the  most  traveled  streets  of 
a  crowded  quarter  of  our  city." 

Another  writer  thus  refers  to  the  same  work:  "The 
hall  is  open  every  evening  at  ten  o'clock  for  a  rescue  ser- 
vice. Good  singing  and  an  attractive  room  draw  in  the 
tired  and  aimless  wanderers  of  the  street.  They  are  a 
pitiable  lot  of  men,  some  too  drank  to  control  themselves, 
almost  all  of  them  under  the  power  of  the  drink  habit, 
and,  with  few  exceptions,  reduced  to  destitution  and  de- 
spair. It  would  be  hard  to  find  anywhere  in  the  city  a 
more  disappointed  and  hopeless  lot  of  men,  and  the  very 
fact  of  their  failure  in  life  and  their  utter  lack  of  any 


30  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

bright  outlook  for  the  future  is  the  one  thing  that  makes 
them  approachable.  The  service  is  full  of  spirited  music ; 
Scripture  and  prayer  are  alike  practical  and  direct ;  and 
after  an  earnest  presentation  of  the  way  of  salvation  the 
truth  is  enforced  by  testimony  from  redeemed  men,  who 
tell  how  they  were  saved  by  the  power  of  Christ  from 
lives  of  drunkenness  and  degradation.  Such  evidence  has 
great  weight  with  the  hearers,  and  a  great  work  is  being 
done  among  those  who  have  sunk  to  the  lowest  level." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INTO  THE  HAYMARKET. 

AMONG  the  serious  difficulties  encountered  by  Mr.  Moody 
at  the  beginning  of  his  work  was  a  want  of  suitably  lo- 
cated places  of  assembly  where  the  masses  of  the  people 
could  be  reached  with  the  gospel.  It  seemed  for  a  time 
as  if  the  desirable  halls  and  theaters  were  all  by  common 
consent  and  "  malice  aforethought "  shut  against  the  evan- 
gelistic invaders.  The  most  liberal  offers  were  refused. 
One  instance  will  indicate  what  is  meant  by  this.  Mr. 
Moody  was  anxious  to  secure  the  use  of  the  Auditorium, 
a  theater  located  at  Michigan  Avenue  and  Congress  Street, 
for  Sunday  meetings.  The  immense  sum  of  $18,500  was 
offered  and  refused.  Offers  for  other  halls  met  with  no 
better  success.  But  what  then  seemed  barriers  became 
open  doors,  for  there  was  a  providence  in  the  movement 
that  would  not  be  baffled  by  man. 

One  of  the  most  desirable  places  in  the  city  soon  opened 
its  doors  to  the  evangelist.  This  was  the  Haymarket 
Theater,  located  on  West  Madison  Street,  a  fine  building, 
perfectly  adapted  for  the  desired  purpose,  with  seating 
capacity  for  about  three  thousand  persons.  In  this  place 
morning  services  were  conducted  every  Sunday  until  the 
end  of  the  campaign,  Mr.  Moody  preaching  on  each  oc- 
casion, with  the  exception  of  two  Sundays,  when  he  was 
absent  from  the  city.  Those  Haymarket  meetings  became 
as  well  known  to  the  thronging  thousands  who  visited 

31 


32  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

the  World's  Fair  as  the  "  White  City  "  itself.  A  more  re- 
markable series  of  meetings  has  probably  never  been  held. 
It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  there  Mr.  Moody  and 
his  glorious  singers  were  brought  into  contact  with  the 
Christian  world.  The  echoes  of  those  marvelous  sermons 
and  melting  songs  will  go  ringing  through  lands  afar  and 
generations  yet  to  come. 

When  the  engagement  was  first  made  for  this  theater, 
it  was  with  the  expectation  that  it  would  require  hard, 
persistent  work  to  get  Sunday  morning  congregations. 
So  Mr.  Moody  told  his  workers.  "  You  need  not  think," 
said  he,  "  that  we  are  going  to  get  an  audience  down  there 
for  the  asking.  I  know  the  district  well,  and  I  know  that 
the  working-men  don't  get  to  bed  till  1  or  2  A.M.,  and  they 
are  not  coming  to  an  eleven  o'clock  meeting  without  some 
pressure.  If  we  want  an  audience  we'll  have  to  go  out 
and  get  it,  and  that  means  work.  We'll  have  admission 
by  ticket  only,  and  you'll  have  to  besiege  the  sidewalk  and 
the  back  streets,  and  get  the  people  out." 

Then  began  the  work  of  stirring  up  the  neighborhood, 
and  the  Bible  Institute  workers  took  hold  of  it  with  a  will. 
It  proved  anything  but  an  easy  task.  Mr.  Morgan  tells 
of  one  lady  visitor  who,  with  a  heart  full  of  love  for  the 
outcast,  was  met  at  one  house  after  another  with  noth- 
ing but  curses.  At  last,  after  a  long  climb  upstairs,  she 
reached  the  top  of  a  rickety  tenement,  only  to  receive  more 
vehement  oaths  than  had  been  cast  at  her  heretofore. 
Physically  spent  and  somewhat  discouraged,  she  boldly 
tackled  her  assailant  thus :  "  Now  look  here,  I've  had 
nothing  but  curses  all  this  afternoon,  so  don't  you  begin. 
Please  get  me  a  drink  of  water  instead,  for  I'm  done  up  !  " 
That  "  touch  of  nature  "  that  "  makes  the  whole  world  kin  " 
had  the  desired  effect,  and  resulted  in  a  hospitable  recep- 
tion that  was  as  refreshing  as  it  was  unexpected. 


INTO   THE  HAYMABKET  33 

Each  night  of  the  week  preceding  the  first  Haymarket 
Theater  service  the  Institute  Hall,  near  by,  was  filled,  and 
the  workers  had  a  busy  time  with  inquirers  at  every  meet- 
ing. When  Sunday  morning  came  it  was  a  joyful  sur- 
prise to  all  to  see  the  immense  theater  packed  from  floor 
to  ceiling,  while  the  aisles  and  stage  were  thronged  with 
those  unable  to  obtain  seats.  And  what  of  the  audience  ? 
It  was  just  such  a  one  as  was  desired.  That  there  was  a 
good  sprinkling  of  the  "  respectably  dressed  "  element  was 
at  once  apparent,  but  in  the  main  it  was  composed  of 
the  class  it  was  intended  to  reach.  The  one  feature  that 
struck  the  observer  first  of  all  was  the  great  preponder- 
ance of  men,  and  a  careful  computation  of  row  after  row 
in  all  parts  of  the  house  showed  that  they  formed  from 
seventy-five  to  eighty  percent,  of  the  audience,  and  this  in 
a  city  where  the  male  element  in  the  churches  is  repre- 
sented by  a  lamentably  small  proportion.  For  nearly  six 
months,  every  Sunday  morning,  the  wonder  was  repeated 
— three  thousand  eager  people  from  all  parts  of  this 
country  and  other  lands  filling  every  foot  of  space  in  the 
theater,  while  hundreds  were  turned  away,  unable  to  gain 
admittance. 

Mr.  Moody's  opening  sermon,  no  less  than  the  succeed- 
ing ones,  made  a  profound  impression.  It  was  a  vivid 
picture  of  King  Herod  and  John  the  Baptist,  the  murderer 
and  the  martyr.  At  its  close,  as  ever  after,  he  drew  the 
gospel  net,  always  expecting  and  always  realizing  imme- 
diate results.  On  this  occasion  he  invited  all  who  were 
anxious  to  meet  him  in  the  mission  hall,  a  hundred  yards 
away;  and  there  over  two  hundred  men  and  women 
thronged  in  to  leave  their  names  and  addresses  as  anxious 
to  receive  a  book  on  regeneration  which  he  had  promised. 
It  was  a  really  affecting  sight.  Side  by  side  stood  rough 
men  and  fashionably  dressed  ladies,  negroes  and  working- 


34  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

women  and  gentlemen,  all  anxiously  pressing  forward  to 
have  their  names  taken  down.  Quite  a  large  number 
were  visitors  from  other  States  who,  passing  through  the 
city  in  pursuit  of  pleasure  or  business,  were  thus  arrested 
by  the  gospel  message,  delivered  in  such  terms  that  the 
most  illiterate  could  not  fail  to  understand. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MORE  WORK  AND  WORKERS. 

THE  week  at  the  Bible  Institute  and  the  Chicago  Avenue 
Church  was  a  busy  one,  the  work  both  enlarging  and  in- 
tensifying. The  three  missioners,  Revs.  Hubert  Brooke, 
Charles  Inwood,  and  G.  H.  C.  MacG-regor,  representing  the 
English  Episcopal,  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  of  Ireland, 
and  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  churches,  held  meetings  three 
times  a  day  for  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life,  urging 
a  personal,  whole-hearted  surrender  to  the  will  of  God. 
In  introducing  the  missioners,  whom  he  had  invited  from 
beyond  the  sea,  Mr.  Moody  said :  "  We  cannot  lead  others 
nearer  to  Christ  than  we  are  living  ourselves,  and  there  is 
no  use  working  unless  we  are  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God. 
We  want  to  get  down  on  our  faces  before  him,  and  humble 
ourselves  at  his  feet.  Let  him  search  us  and  try  our 
thoughts,  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  us.  This 
is  why  I  have  asked  these  brethren  to  come  amongst  us. 
They  have  been  greatly  used  of  God  in  many  towns  in 
Canada,  and  a  wave  of  blessing  has  come  to  the  churches 
they  have  visited.  That's  just  what  we  want  right  here 
in  Chicago ;  and  if  we  get  that,  then  our  preaching  will 
be  with  power,  and  our  work  will  bear  a  precious  harvest 
of  souls." 

The  faithful  labors  of  these  co-workers  were  greatly 
appreciated  by  Mr.  Moody,  and  richly  blessed.  To  many 
devout  minds  they  opened  new  views  of  truth  and  Chris- 

35 


36  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

tian  privilege  and  obligation,  imparting  a  decided  impulse 
in  the  life  of  faith  and  service. 

The  force  of  workers  cooperating  with  Mr.  Moody,  in 
addition  to  the  efficient  bands  of  male  and  female  students 
and  leaders  of  the  Bible  Institute,  was  being  constantly 
augmented  by  the  arrival  of  invited  evangelists  and  sing- 
ers, from  the  first  week  to  the  last.  Among  these  arrivals, 
the  fourth  week,  was  one  who  was  to  stand  side  by  side 
with  Mr.  Moody  till  the  last  day  of  the  campaign — Rev. 
John  McNeill,  the  Scotch  evangelist,  accompanied  by  his 
gospel  singer,  Mr.  J.  H.  Burke.  At  a  great  gathering  in 
the  Chicago  Avenue  Church  the  new-comer  preached  his 
introductory  sermon  on  "  David." 

After  the  first  four  weeks  the  practicability  of  a  gospel 
work  in  Chicago  during  the  "World's  Fair  had  been  satis- 
factorily demonstrated.  It  now  only  remained  to  press 
forward  wisely,  steadily,  resolutely,  from  point  to  point, 
with  ever-increasing  power,  so  as  to  make  the  utmost  of 
the  grand  opportunity.  It  is  not  possible  here  to  follow 
the  widening  circles  of  the  movement  through  the  succes- 
sive victorious  days,  weeks,  and  months.  We  must  con- 
tent ourselves  with  a  glimpse  here  and  there  of  parts  of 
the  grand  whole. 

The  force  of  workers  which  Mr.  Moody,  as  commander- 
in-chief,  gathered  around  himself  was  a  large  one,  remark- 
able alike  for  variety  of  gifts,  capacity  for  varied  labors, 
and  power  for  effective  service.  It  may  be  well  to  name 
the  principal  evangelists,  clergymen,  and  song  leaders 
whose  voices  were  heard  in  the  various  meetings  of  the 
campaign.  At  the  first  meeting  Mr.  Moody  had  by  his 
side,  on  the  platform  of  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  Ma- 
jor D.  W.  Whittle,  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey,  Ira  D.  Sankey,  D.  B. 
Towner,  and  H.  H.  McGranahan.  To  these  were  sub- 
sequently added  the  following,  among  many  others  whose 


37 

names  cannot  here  be  given:  Dr.  A.  C.  Dixon,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. ;  Dr.  H.  M.  Wharton,  Baltimore,  Md. ;  George 
C.  Needham,  East  Northfield,  Mass. ;  Dr.  J.  Wilbur  Chap- 
man, Philadelphia ;  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon,  Boston ;  Dr.  "W.  G. 
Moorehead,  Xenia,  O. ;  Dr.  J.  M.  Stifler,  Crozer  Theological 
Seminary ;  Dr.  C.  I.  Scofield,  Dallas,  Tex.  ;  Dr.  A.  T.  Pier- 
son,  East  Northfield,  Mass. ;  Dr.  T.  L.  Cuyler,  Brooklyn ; 
Dr.  James  H.  Brookes,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Dr.  John  Hall,  New 
York ;  Drs.  P.  S.  Hensou  and  J.  L.  Withrow,  Chicago ; 
Dr.  A.  B.  Simpson,  New  York;  Major-General  O.  O.  How- 
ard, U.  S.  A. ;  Dr.  Joseph  Cook,  Boston ;  Rev.  B.  Fay  Mills, 
Major  Cole,  Chicago ;  Rev.  R.  G.  Pearson,  Asheville,  N.  C. ; 
Hon.  John  G.  Woolley,  Geo.  D.  McKay,  New  York ;  Rev. 
Niclaus  Boldt,  St.  Paul,  Minn. ;  Evangelists  Ferd.  Schiv- 
erea,W.  Dalgetty,  L.  P.  Rowland,  D.  W.  Potter,  Abe  Mulke, 
H.  Openshaw,  J.  H.  Elliott,  Col.  H.  H.  Hadley,  Rev.  G.  B. 
Rogers,  R.  A.  Hadden,  A.  P.  Pitt,  A.  F.  Gaylord,  C.  H. 
Stevens,  and  Rev.  C.  O.  Jones,  Tennessee ;  Dr.  G.  C.  Lori- 
mer,  Boston  ;  Mr.  Stephen  Merritt,  New  York ;  L.  W.  Mun- 
hall,  Philadelphia ;  Rev.  D.  Breed,  H.  L.  Hastings,  Boston ; 
Merton  Smith,  Chicago ;  J.  C.  Davis  and  H.  I.  Higgins,  in 
charge  of  the  gospel  carnage;  J.  W.  Deane,  President 
C.  A.  Blanchard,  Wheatou  College ;  Dr.  H.  Clay  Trumbull, 
of  the  Sunday-school  Times;  Robert  E.  Speer,  New  York ; 
Rev.  A.  Skoogsbergh. 

From  beyond  the  sea  were  such  men  as  Rev.  John 
McNeill,  Dr.  John  Riddell,  Dr.  John  Robertson,  Dr.  Hugh 
Montgomery,  Richard  Hill,  Rev.  G.  H.  C.  MacGregor,  J.  M. 
Scroggie,  W.  Robertson,  Lord  Kinnaird,  and  John  Currie, 
of  Scotland ;  Henry  Varley,  Rev.  Hubert  Brooke,  Charles 
Inglis,  Rev.  Thomas  Spurgeon,  Dr.  J.  Munro  Gibson,  Lord 
Bennett,  J.  E.  K.  Studd,  Mr.  Davis,  Rev.  J.  B.  Wookey, 
Rev.  Greenwood,  of  London,  England ;  Dr.  John  G.  Paton, 
the  Missionary  Apostle  of  the  New  Hebrides ;  Dr.  Adolf 


38  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Stoecker,  ex-court  preacher  of  Germany ;  Rabbi  Rabino- 
witz,  of  Kussia ;  Dr.  J.  Pindor,  of  Austria ;  Dr.  Theo.  Mo- 
nod,  of  Paris;  Rev.  Charles  In  wood,  of  Ireland;  Count 
Bernstorff,  of  Germany. 

Among  those  who  labored  effectively  in  the  service  of 
song  may  be  named,  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  opening  meeting,  George  C.  Stebbins, 
J.  H.  Burke,  F.  H.  Jacobs,  Chess  Birch,  F.  H.  Atkinson, 
C.  Alexander,  Mr.  Wellicome,  Miss  Van  Valkenburgh,  Miss 
Henton,  the  Stebbins  and  the  Towner  Male  Choirs,  and 
the  Oberlin,  Princeton,  Kimball,  Institute,  Torrey,  and 
Ladies'  Institute  quartets.  The  service  of  song  through- 
out the  entire  campaign  was  a  magnificent  demonstration 
of  the  value,  adaptation,  and  power  of  this  department  of 
worship  and  gospel  work.  Under  able  leadership  a  host 
of  singers  could  always  be  mustered  on  the  platform,  in 
any  part  of  the  city. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  Mr.  Moody  himself  is  not 
a  singer,  it  is  the  more  remarkable  that  he  should  have 
given  so  prominent  and  important  a  place  to  the  service 
of  song  in  all  his  evangelistic  work  and  in  the  scheme  of 
training  provided  in  all  his  schools.  And  never  was  this 
service  organized  and  utilized  on  so  large  a  scale  as  in  this 
Chicago  campaign.  This  department  of  the  work  excited 
the  deepest  interest  and  amazement  of  some  of  the  foreign 
visitors.  "  The  service  of  song,"  writes  one  to  a  foreign 
journal,  "is  an  extraordinary  feature  of  these  meetings. 
The  choir  and  solo  songsters  are  many,  and  they  really 
sing  for  Jesus.  Last  night  hundreds  were  drawn  from 
the  streets  to  hear  the  singing.  No  wonder  they  come, 
for  it  is  something  to  hear  indeed.  The  voice  of  praise 
is  seldom  silent  or  at  rest  in  this  building  "  (the  Bible  In- 
stitute). In  order  to  secure  the  service  of  the  best  singers 
— solo,  quartet,  and  choir — they  were  often  hurried  from 


MORE    WORK  AND    WORKERS  39 

one  meeting-place  to  another,  so  that  all  the  principal 
meetings  held  at  the  same  hours  might  have  the  benefit 
of  their  singing. 

An  immense  amount  of  woman's  work  entered  into  the 
sum  total  of  the  gospel  campaign.  Quietly,  effectively, 
pervasively,  like  a  gracious  leaven,  the  consecrated  daugh- 
ters of  the  King  labored  on.  through  the  days  and  nights, 
month  after  month,  in  perfect  accord  with  the  grand  move- 
ment, and  under  the  one  masterful  leadership.  Among 
those  who  took  prominent  part  may  be  named  Mrs.  S.  B. 
Capron,  superintendent  of  the  Ladies'  Department  of  the 
Bible  Institute ;  Miss  B.  B.  Tyson,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  j 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Gordon,  of  Boston ;  Mrs.  E.  M.  Whittemore,  of 
New  York ;  Miss  Catherine  Gurney,  of  London ;  and  Misses 
Emily  S.  Strong,  N.  E.  McClure.  C.  E.  Waite,  Poxon,  and 
Van  Valkenburgh,  of  the  Bible  Institute. 

Add  to  these  names  of  preachers,  teachers,  evangelists, 
singers,  and  others,  a  great  host  of  unnamed  workers 
whose  hearts  God  had  touched  with  holy  fire  and  power 
— the  rank  and  file  of  the  evangelizing  army — some  of 
whom  wrought  perhaps  more  effectively  even  than  their 
leaders,  and  you  have  before  your  mind's  eye  the  human 
working  forces  of  the  campaign.  A  large  part  of  this 
force,  as  elsewhere  noted,  consisted  of  the  indispensable 
trained  workers  of  the  Chicago  Bible  Institute — a  capable, 
ready,  willing  body,  always  at  command  of  the  leader, 
whether  for  speech,  song,  prayer,  or  to  ''  serve  tables  "  in 
any  capacity  that  the  occasion  required. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PREACHING-PLACES — MANAGEMENT. 

ONE  very  important  and  difficult  part  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  campaign,  especially  at  the  beginning,  was 
the  securing  of  proper  meeting-places  as  centers  of  opera- 
tion. Beginning  with  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church  and 
the  Chapel  of  the  Bible  Institute  as  the  central  basis  of 
operation,  the  following  places  were,  occupied,  some  more, 
some  less,  according  to  circumstances:  The  Haymarket, 
Empire,  Standard,  Columbia,  Hooley's,  Windsor,  Tatter- 
sail's,  and  Vaudeville  theaters ;  the  Central  Music  Hall  and 
the  Grand  Opera  House ;  the  Endeavor  Hotel  Tabernacle, 
the  Epworth  Hotel  Tabernacle,  the  Columbian  Sunday- 
school  Building,  the  Hall  of  Columbus,  Turner  Hall,  Ar- 
cade Hall,  Willard  Hall,  Holmes'  Hall,  Institute  Hall,  Peo- 
ple's Tabernacle,  People's  Institute,  West  Side  Tabernacle, 
Pacific  Garden  Mission,  Forepaugh's  Circus  Tent,  the  Chi- 
cago and  the  Englewood  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings,  and  the 
Pullman  Hall,  with  the  following  churches  in  the  city 
and  its  suburbs :  Presbyterian — The  First,  Second,  Third, 
Fourth,  Forty-first  Street,  Woodlawn,  Immanuel,  Camp- 
bell Park,  Covenant,  and  Englewood;  Congregational — 
The  First,  Grace,  Union  Park,  Rogers  Park,  Ewing  Street, 
Plymouth,  Warren  Avenue,  and  Lake  View ;  Baptist — Im- 
manuel, Second,  Fourth,  Bethany,  Belden  Avenue,  Trinity, 
La  Salle  Avenue,  Langley  Avenue,  and  Englewood ;  Meth- 
odist Episcopal — The  First,  Western  Avenue,  Oakwood, 

40 


PREACSING-PLACES— MANAGEMENT  41 

Fulton  Street,  Trinity,  Wesley,  South  Park  Avenue,  Blue 
Island,  Auburn  Park,  Union  Park,  St.  Paul's,  Evanston, 
and  Wheaton;  two  Lutheran  churches;  St.  Paul's  Re- 
formed Episcopal;  one  Bohemian;  Noble  Street  Evan- 
gelical ;  Hebrew  Mission ;  German  Evangelical ;  Swedish 
Tabernacle,  Swedish  Mission,  and  Norwegian  Bethania ; 
Christ  Chapel,  Marie,  Erie,  and  Railroad  Chapels,  and 
N.  W.  University  Chapel,  Evanston ;  also  churches  at  Aus- 
tin, Raven  swood,  and  other  towns. 

In  addition  to  these  and  other  meeting-places  there 
were  five  large  canvas  tabernacles  in  constant  use,  which 
were  moved  from  place  to  place,  and  which  proved  to 
be  among  the  most  effective  arrangements  to  reach  the 
masses  of  city  residents  and  visitors.  Another  effective 
device  was  a  gospel  wagon,  by  means  of  which  it  was 
found  possible  to  hold  a  number  of  open-air  meetings  in 
various  parts  of  the  city  every  day,  with  the  happiest  re- 
sults. 

By  thus  massing  names  of  persons  and  places  together 
on  the  printed  page,  the  reader  may  get  a  more  impressive 
idea  of  the  extent  and  scope  of  the  work  that  was  carried 
forward,  day  after  day,  through  the  six  months  of  the 
World's  Fair.  But  the  view  is  by  no  means  complete 
or  adequate.  The  management  of  the  enterprise  was  a 
gigantic  piece  of  work,  and  the  machinery  of  organization 
was  a  gigantic  system  of  adjusted  workers.  Never  has 
Mr.  Moody  been  so  severely  tested  as  to  his  organizing 
capacity,  and  skill  and  power  of  leadership,  and  probably 
never  has  he  more  fully  measured  up  to  the  demands 
of  any  occasion  or  crisis  of  his  evangelistic  career.  His 
experience  was  a  new  confirmation  of  the  precious  divine 
assurance  he  has  learned  so  well :  "  My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee." 

The  amount  of  work  and  calculation  involved  in  ar- 


42  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

ranging  for  and  carrying  on  the  meetings,  day  by  day,  is 
incalculable.  Success  came  not  as  a  matter  of  course,  or 
by  chance,  but  by  downright  hard,  persistent  work.  The 
people  were  sought  and  brought  to  the  meetings  by  keep- 
ing the  one  subject  before  them.  The  newspapers,  street- 
cars, bill-boards,  ticket-distributers,  and  personal  solici- 
tation were  all  brought  into  requisition  to  advertise  the 
meetings.  Nearly  one  and  a  half  million  tickets  were 
printed  at  one  place  alone,  and  the  circulars  and  posters 
who  could  count?  It  was  a  grand,  impressive  object- 
lesson  on  how  to  reach  the  people.  The  inner  history  of 
struggle  and  victory  in  providing  for  the  financial  part 
of  the  colossal  and  costly  enterprise  will  never  be  fully 
known  save  to  those  in  the  inner  circle  of  prevailing 
prayer  who  bore  the  burden. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AT  HEADQUARTERS — SPECIMEN  MEETING. 

IT  was  Mr.  Moody's  habit  to  meet  his  tired  co-workers 
every  night,  in  his  room  at  the  Bible  Institute,  to  partake 
of  refreshments,  report  the  work  of  the  day,  and  discuss 
the  important  interests  of  the  meetings.  As  one  by  one 
the  workers  came  in  from  their  different  preaching-places, 
churches,  theaters,  halls,  tents,  some  near  the  midnight 
hour,  the  commander-in-chief  had  a  word  for  each  one, 
and  nothing  so  cheered  his  heart  and  brightened  his  coun- 
tenance as  reports  of  souls  saved  and  victories  gained  for 
the  dear  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Those  nightly  seasons  of  fel- 
lowship will  be  gratefully  remembered  by  many  as  they 
live  over  again  the  trials  and  triumphs  of  that  wonderful 
time.  On  Sunday  nights,  after  the  exhausting  labors  of 
the  crowded  days,  the  assembled  workers  always  bowed 
with  Mr.  Moody  in  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God  before 
they  retired  to  their  places  of  rest. 

Regular  meetings  were  also  held  in  the  Bible  Institute, 
when  reports  of  work  from  the  various  preachers  were 
called  for.  A  glimpse  of  one  such  meeting,  with  Mr.  Moody 
on  the  platform,  catechising  the  workers,  is  given  by  a 
participant,  as  follows : 

"  Mr.  Schiverea,  what  progress  have  you  had  the  last 
week ! n 

"We  have  held  a  meeting  every  night,  and  children's 
meetings  four  afternoons  in  the  week,  with  an  average 

43 


44 

of  about  1000  at  the  night  services  and  300  during  the 
day.  God  has  inclined  the  hearts  of  the  people  to  come, 
and  not  a  few  have  decided  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
I  have  been  in  the  city  for  f our  summers,  and  don't  know 
of  any  season  where  God  has  opened  the  work  with  such 
grand  prospects.  The  people  are  hungering  for  the  simple 
gospel,  and  proving  it  by  crowding  the  tent  night  after 
night.  We  have  had  some  conversions  of  people  who 
never  go  inside  of  church  doors." 

"  What  nationality  are  the  people  mostly  ? " 
"  About  nineteen  nationalities  are  now  represented  in 
our  meetings." 

"  Mr.  Smith,  what  is  the  report  from  your  tent  ?  " 
"  Last  night  we  had  one  of  the  best  meetings  we  have 
had  yet.  There  has  been  sustained  interest,  and  we  have 
had  large  children's  services  Sunday  afternoons.  They 
have  not  been  so  large  on  the  week-days.  It  is  a  hard 
neighborhood,  three  fourths  of  the  people  being  Roman 
Catholics,  but  there  has  been  quite  an  accession  of  Prot- 
estants during  the  last  few  years.  Seventy  percent,  of 
our  conversions  in  the  past  two  weeks  have  been  among 
Hollanders." 

"  Do  you  have  many  working-men  ? " 
"  Yes,  the  back  of  the  tent  is  filled  with  working-men 
night  after  night.  Two  men  came  every  night  for  two 
weeks  and  studied  the  question  very  earnestly.  I  missed 
one  of  the  men  and  went  to  the  other  and  inquired  for 
him.  I  found  he  had  left  his  companion  playing  cards 
and  come  to  the  meeting.  He  decided  for  Christ.  I 
sent  him  out  for  his  companion  and  he  brought  him,  but 
he  did  not  decide  for  Christ  at  that  time.  However,  hG 
brought  in  another  who  did.  It  is  an  unchurched  neigh- 
borhood, and  it  has  been  our  work  to  bring  out  those  who 
had  no  church  connection." 


AT  HEADQUARTERS— SPECIMEN  MEETING  45 

"  Are  such  churches  as  are  there  working  in  sympathy 
with  you  ? " 

"  All  the  ministers  of  the  Protestant  churches,  with  one 
exception,  have  been  on  the  platform  nearly  every  night. 
I  have  received  assistance  from  all  the  churches  in  the 
neighborhood.  Our  workers  from  here  have  been  faith- 
ful, although  it  has  been  a  long  way  to  go." 

"  How  does  the  work  compare  with  previous  summers  ? " 

"  I  never  saw  better  work." 

"  Do  you  have  many  World's  Fair  people  ? " 

"Yes,  ministers  and  others  often  come  and  introduce 
themselves." 

"Mr.  Schiverea,  I  forgot  to  ask  you  if  you  have  the 
cooperation  of  the  ministers  ? " 

"  Yes,  somewhat.     The  church  people  come  in." 

"  Mr.  Atkinson,  what  about  your  tent  ? " 

"  We  have  a  great  deal  to  praise  God  for.  I  took  the 
work  in  fear  and  trembling,  never  having  been  in  charge 
of  a  tent  before.  Mrs.  Capron  gave  me  my  old  State 
Street  workers,  and  the  success  is  due  to  them  through 
the  blessing  of  God  and  prayer.  The  congregations  have 
grown  night  after  night.  We  have  a  children's  meeting 
with  an  average  attendance  of  200,  and  an  open-air  meet- 
ing, conducted  by  Mr.  Cantwell,  where  500  people  often 
hear  the  gospel.  Two  young  ladies  professed  conversion, 
members  of  a  Sunday-school  class.  They  brought  in  an- 
other and  she  was  converted,  and  the  next  night  I  saw 
them  pleading  and  weeping  with  a  fourth,  and  beseeching 
her  to  come  to  Christ.  It  is  a  respectable  neighborhood. 
The  churches  have  been  stimulated  by  the  meetings.  An 
elder  from  a  Presbyterian  church  stated  that  the  previous 
Wednesday  they  had  had  the  largest  prayer-meeting  they 
ever  had  had." 

"  What  have  you  been  doing,  Mr.  Dalgetty  ? " 


46 

"  I  have  only  been  down  in  that  tent  a  week.  There 
was  much  disturbance  among  the  boys.  We  made  it  a 
matter  of  serious  prayer,  and  there  has  been  an  answer. 
Last  night  was  the  largest  meeting  we  have  had  down 
there.  There  was  a  boy  sitting  near  the  front.  I  shook 
hands  with  him  and  asked  him  if  he  had  trusted  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  answered,  'Yes.'  'How  long?' 
1  One  minute.'  'Are  your  sins  pardoned  ? '  '  Yes.'  '  How 
do  you  know  ? '  '  God  says  so.'  '  Who  spoke  with  you  ? ' 
'  God.'  He  had  decided  during  the  preaching." 

"  Mr.  Smith,  will  you  report  from  the  temperanae  meet- 
ing at  Empire  Theater  ? " 

"There  is  good  news  from  the  temperance  meeting. 
Last  Saturday  night  close  upon  200  signed  the  pledge. 
I  don't  know  when  it  was  ever  so  easy  to  get  in  spiritual 
work,  as  well  as  to  have  the  pledge  signed." 

"What  have  you  been  doing  at  Institute  Hall,  Mr. 
Stephens  ? " 

"  We  have  been  having  three  meetings  every  evening. 
We  have  an  outdoor  meeting,  and  a  late  meeting  is  held 
from  ten  till  twelve  every  night,  to  catch  the  late  passers- 
by." 

"  What  proportion  of  the  audience  at  the  Empire  Thea- 
ter are  men  ? " 

"  About  two  thirds.  Most  of  them  are  from  the  crowd 
which  hang  about  Canal  Street — men  out  of  work  and 
drinking  men." 

"  Are  any  of  the  drinking  men  being  reached  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  we  have  had  a  song  service  in  several  saloons 
and  have  been  well  received." 

"  Mr.  Pierson,  we  will  hear  what  you  have  to  tell  us." 

"  The  meetings  at  the  Sunday-school  Building  have  been 
going  on  for  several  weeks.  An  intelligent  audience — 
among  them  are  chair-rollers  and  Columbian  guards  out 


AT  HEADQUARTERS— SPECIMEN  MEETING  47 

of  employment  and  discouraged,  so  that  their  hearts  are 
tender." 

"  Miss  McClure,  we  would  like  to  hear  about  the  wom- 
en's meeting  at  Empire  Theater." 

"  We  gathered  together  for  prayer.  There  were  several 
hundred  there,  and  it  was  an  easy  meeting  to  lead,  for  it 
went  of  itself  when  it  was  once  started.  People  were 
there  from  all  over  the  country.  One  good  woman  who 
had  come  to  Chicago  to  see  the  Fair  had  a  son  here  who 
was  not  a  Christian,  and  made  up  her  mind  to  stay  until 
he  was.  It  seems  to  me  it  must  have  been  easy  for  the 
evangelists  to  preach  that  night,  for  they  were  so  upheld 
by  prayer  in  the  afternoon." 

"  What  about  the  police  work  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  just  how  much  is  done  in  the  city,  but 
the  ladies  from  our  department  have  charge  of  five  sta- 
tions. They  gather  for  a  half -hour  meeting  before  roll- 
call  in  the  evening.  Sometimes  it  is  discouraging.  The 
rooms  are  close,  and  the  men  would  rather  stay  outside, 
but  there  are  usually  from  ten  to  thirty  men  inside." 

"  Have  you  anything  to  add,  Mrs.  Capron  ? " 

"  I  should  like  to  have  Miss  Peters  report  the  open-air 
meetings." 

"  These  are  the  results  of  the  cottage  meetings  of  the 
winter.  When  the  winter  was  over  the  people  did  not 
seem  to  want  to  have  the  meetings  closed,  so  we  planned 
an  open-air  meeting  instead,  and  went  out  one  afternoon 
with  invitations.  We  began  singing,  and  many  whom  I 
had  not  seen  before  began  to  gather  around,  and  seemed 
greatly  interested.  We  rejoiced  because  the  meeting  was 
so  quiet,  as  a  mission  in  that  place  had  had  to  close  be- 
cause of  disturbance  by  the  boys.  I  spoke  to  the  boy  who 
was  the  leader,  and  the  next  time  he  came,  and  afterward 
said,  '  Wasn't  I  quiet  to-night  ? ' " 


48  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

"Is  Mr.  McNeil!  here!" 

Mr.  McNeil!  responded :  "  We  have  had  very  good  meet- 
ings at  Englewood  Church,  an  audience  of  from  1500  to 
2000." 

The  reports,  the  comments,  the  questions  asked  and  an- 
swered, the  suggestions  concerning  work  and  workers,  the 
spirit  of  faith,  zeal,  and  enthusiasm,  made  these  meetings 
exceedingly  interesting  and  profitable. 

There  is  one  other  item  with  respect  to  Mr.  Moody's 
management  of  the  meetings  which  must  not  be  over- 
looked. He  believes  that  it  is  a  religious  duty  and  privi- 
lege, and  a  necessary  condition  of  health  and  effectiveness, 
to  rest  one  day  in  seven.  The  writer  has  repeatedly  heard 
him  ascribe  his  own  freshness  and  vigor  and  sustained 
working  capacity  to  his  observance  of  a  seventh-day  rest. 
Accordingly,  his  plan  of  evangelistic  campaign  must  pro- 
vide for  a  seventh-day  rest  for  himself  and  for  all  his 
workers,  while  the  Sabbath  is  the  busiest  and  most  exhaust- 
ing day  of  the  seven.  Monday  was  the  day  set  apart  for 
this  purpose  for  the  majority  of  the  workers,  and  those 
who  were  obliged  to  work  on  that  day  were  released  from 
labor  on  Saturday,  or  some  other  day. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN  CIRCUS  AND  HALL. 

AMONG  the  most  notable  of  the  large  meetings  held 
during  the  early  part  of  the  campaign  were  those  in  the 
Mammoth  Forepaugh's  Circus  tent  and  in  TattersalPs  huge 
barracks-like  hall,  on  the  south  side.  In  the  former  place 
two  meetings  were  held,  on  two  successive  Sundays  in 
June.  The  circus  tent  covered  an  immense  area,  with 
10,000  seats  and  an  arena  capable  of  accommodating 
10,000  more.  In  the  center  of  the  arena  a  rude  plat- 
form was  erected  for  the  speakers  and  a  few  of  the  singers, 
while  the  rest  of  the  song  corps  were  massed  around  them. 
An  observer  describes  the  scene  in  few  words  as  follows : 
"The  surroundings  were  the  usual  circus  furniture — 
ropes,  trapezes,  gaudy  decorations,  etc.,  while  in  an  adjoin- 
ing canvas  building  was  a  large  menagerie,  including 
eleven  elephants.  Clowns,  grooms,  circus  riders,  men, 
women,  and  children,  drinking  and  betting  men,  pick- 
pockets, all  gathered,  we  were  informed,  into  this  unique 
assembly.  What  a  crowd  it  was !  Men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, 18,000  of  them,  and  on  a  Sunday  morning,  too! 
Whether  the  gospel  was  ever  before  preached  under  such 
circumstances  I  know  not,  but  it  was  wonderful,  to  ear 
and  eye  alike.  The  sight  of  the  vast  sea  of  faces  was  at 
once  glad  and  solemn.  By  half-past  nine  the  choir  took 
their  places  in  front  of  an  audience  already  vast  in  extent, 
although  tickets  were  available  for  half  an  hour,  yet  be- 

49 


50  WOBLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

fore  that  entrance  was  free  to  all  comers.  Be  it  under- 
stood, however,  that  tickets  were  not  in  use  to  keep  people 
out,  but  to  get  them  in.  In  other  words,  they  had  been 
placed  in  the  hands  of  all  who  would  accept  them  in  train 
or  street-car,  road  or  sidewalk,  store  or  hotel,  wheresoever 
the  feet  of  willing  workers  had  been  able  to  gain  admit- 
tance for  the  purpose. 

"  After  nearly  an  hour  of  singing,  individual  and  con- 
gregational, which  swept  like  the  voice  of  the  ocean  across 
the  field  of  heads,  Mr.  Moody  rose  before  probably  the 
largest  audience  he  had  ever  been  called  upon  to  face,  and 
delivered  one  of  those  addresses,  burning  with  earnest- 
ness, pathos,  and  love,  which,  owned  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
have  drawn  so  many  not  only  under  the  sound  of  the  gos- 
pel, but  also  under  its  power.  His  text  was,  '  The  Son  of 
Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost/  and 
his  address  was  a  pathetic  appeal  to  sinners  to  turn  to 
God,  delivered  with  unction  and  tenderness.  Profoundly 
moved  by  the  vast  throng  before  him,  he  spoke  as  though 
realizing  that  many  of  his  auditors  might  never  again 
hear  the  gospel  call.  The  silence  became  intense.  Closer 
and  closer  pressed  the  people.  Broken  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  tears  rolled  unheeded  and  unwiped 
from  faces  to  which  tears  were  doubtless  strangers.  Num- 
bers of  young  men  gave  way  to  their  feelings,  heedless 
of  who  might  be  looking  on.  Toward  the  close  of  his 
address  there  was  a  slight  disturbance,  and  Mr.  Moody 
found  that  the  cause  of  it  was  a  l  lost  child.'  He  quickly 
had  the  little  girl  brought  to  the  platform,  and  by  hold- 
ing her  up  to  the  audience  made  an  effort  to  discover  her 
parents.  In  this  he  wa.s  successful.  While  the  father 
was  making  his  way  to  the  platform  Mr.  Moody  went  on 
with  his  address,  and  when  the  anxious  man  reached  the 
preacher's  side  Mr.  Moody  placed  the  child  in  her  father's 


IAr  CIRCUS  AND  HALL  51 

arms,  and  said,  'This  is  what  Jesus  Christ  came  to  do. 
He  came  to  seek  and  save  sinners,  and  restore  them  to 
their  Heavenly  Father's  embrace.'  This  unusual  kind  of 
illustration  came  home  to  many  with  much  power. 

"  After  Mr.  Moody's  address,  Rev.  John  McNeill  had  a 
turn.  He  spoke  in  his  own  happy,  simple  style,  his  fine 
voice  sweeping  away  back  to  the  farthest  corner  of  the 
amphitheater,  and  he,  too,  in  his  own  characteristic  way, 
presented  the  truth  of  Christ  from  another  standpoint, 
but  directed  to  the  same  goal.  And  thus,  in  the  mouths 
of  two  witnesses,  and  by  the  fervent  prayers  of  hundreds 
of  hearts,  was  that  truth  established  before  a  throng 
which,  for  diversity  of  appearance,  incongruity  of  the  sur- 
roundings, but  at  the  same  time  closeness  of  attention, 
stood,  perhaps,  unique  in  the  annals  of  gospel  work.  A 
similar  service,  held  the  following  Sabbath,  was  addressed 
by  Messrs.  Moody,  McNeill,  Schiverea,  and  Torrey.  This 
occasion,  having  only  been  advertised  for  two  days,  was 
not  so  largely  attended,  but  that  9000  persons  should  have 
heard  the  powerful  presentation  of  the  love  of  God  which 
his  servants  gave  was  much  to  be  thankful  for." 

When  Mr.  Moody  was  arranging  for  this  circus-tent 
meeting,  one  of  the  circus  men,  with  an  air  of  incredulity 
and  contempt,  asked  if  he  thought  he  could  get  3000 
hearers  there.  The  man  learned  at  least  one  lesson  be- 
fore the  day  was  over.  So  also  did  the  manager  of  the 
circus,  who  granted  Mr.  Moody  the  use  of  the  tent  for 
Sunday  morning,  but  reserved  it  for  the  afternoon  and 
evening,  expecting  to  draw  immense  crowds  to  his  per- 
formances. It  was  a  revelation  to  him  when  he  saw  in 
the  morning  from  15,000  to  18,000  persons  listening  to 
songs  and  sermons,  and  so  few  coming  to  see  his  perform- 
ances in  afternoon  and  evening  that  he  had  to  give  up 
Sunday  exhibitions  altogether.  The  manager,  moreover, 


52  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

frankly  stated  that  Sunday  performances  were  an  experi- 
ment with  him,  and  that  he  would  not  try  it  again.  He 
then  asked  Mr.  Moody  for  an  evangelist  to  travel  with 
him,  offering  the  use  of  his  tent  on  Sundays  for  gospel 
meetings,  and  promising  to  pay  all  expenses  of  the  ar- 
rangement. 

When  Mr.  Moody  announced  the  meeting  to  be  held  in 
Tattersall's  Hall,  with  its  capacity  of  from  10,000  to  15,000 
people,  he  said :  "  We've  got  something  better  than  Buffalo 
Bill,  and  we  must  get  a  bigger  audience  than  he  does." 
Concerning  this  meeting,  Mr.  Morgan  writes :  "  Consider- 
able effort  was  obviously  necessary  to  secure  a  full  audi- 
ence in  view  of  the  multitudinous  worldly  attractions  rife 
in  the  city  on  Sunday  and  week-day  alike.  Accordingly 
twenty  men  visited  the  back  parts  of  the  city  for  several 
hours  on  the  Saturday  night  and  Sunday  morning,  distrib- 
uting tickets  of  admission  from  house  to  house,  in  drink- 
ing and  gambling  saloons,  brothels,  and  in  the  streets. 
On  the  whole,  and  especially  considering  the  low  type  of 
places  visited,  a  very  favorable  reception  was  accorded, 
and  it  was  especially  gratifying  to  find  the  unqualified  re- 
spect in  which  the  evangelist  is  held  even  by  those  whose 
business  suffers  at  his  hands.  The  individual  testimonies 
to  this  were  quite  as  forcible  as  the  splendid  muster  of 
men  of  every  class  who  throng  every  building  in  which 
he  is  announced  to  preach. 

"  An  amusing  incident  occurred  during  this  district  vis- 
itation. A  saloon-keeper,  becoming  enraged  at  the  inva- 
sion of  his  premises  for  such  a  purpose,  tore  up  all  the 
tickets  he  could  grab  from  the  hands  of  his  customers, 
and  summoned  a  policeman  to  eject  the  perpetrator  of 
the  outrage.  A  burly  form  in  blue  promptly  seized  the 
offender,  who,  however,  by  dint  of  some  facetious  remark, 
raised  a  laugh  at  the  officer's  expense.  This  dispelled  the 


IX  ClliCUS  AND   HALL  53 

solemnity  of  the  occasion,  and  he  followed  up  his  advan- 
tage by  asking  the  saloon-keeper  whether,  as  he  objected 
to  his  customers  going  to  the  meeting,  he  would  not  repre- 
sent them  by  going  himself.  '  Ah/  he  said,  '  you  wouldn't 
welcome  me  if  I  did ! '  '  Indeed  we  would/  was  the  reply ; 
'  see,  here's  a  special  ticket '  (writing  a  pass  to  a  reserved 
seat  on  a  visiting-card).  'Then  I'll  go/  he  responded; 
'  that's  a  bet ! '  And  he  kept  his  word.  Needless  to  add, 
the  visitor  was  allowed  to  repeat  his  distribution  among 
the  customers,  and  the  policeman,  somewhat  disappointed, 
resumed  his  beat  alone.  In  another  saloon  the  keeper 
besought  the  visitor  not  to  make  a  fool  of  himself,  which 
gave  rise  to  a  discussion  between  himself  and  his  wife 
(who,  standing  behind  the  bar,  had  already  accepted  a 
ticket),  during  which  the  distribution  was  continued  with- 
out further  interruption. 

"As  to  the  meeting  itself,  there  was  a  splendid  con- 
course of  8000  people,  who  listened  with  closest  attention 
to  an  address  longer  in  point  of  time  than  is  Mr.  Moody's 
wont ;  and  although  the  hall  did  not  afford  facilities  for 
an  after-meeting,  about  500  young  men  responded  to  an 
invitation  to  remain  awhile  at  the  close.  Many  of  these 
proved  to  be  strangers  in  the  city,  whom  Mr.  Moody  in- 
vited to  cooperate  in  or  to  attend  the  various  services  to 
be  held  during  the  summer  for  their  own  blessing  and 
that  of  others.  Such  an  audience  as  had  assembled  was 
the  more  remarkable,  seeing  that  the  evangelist  had  al- 
ready addressed  4000  persons  in  a  large  theater  during 
the  forenoon,  and  that,  to  say  nothing  of  other  attractions, 
the  Fair  was  open  all  day." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TWO*  SPECIMEN  DAYS. 

WE  will  help  the  reader  to  see  the  bare  skeleton  of  a 
single  day's  work  of  the  evangelistic  forces  by  setting  be- 
fore him,  first,  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  labors  of  one  Sun- 
day in  the  middle  of  the  campaign,  and,  second,  a  speci- 
men program  of  another  Smiday  in  the  last  month,  and 
the  week  following  it,  which  will  show  one  style  of  adver- 
tising, and  also  mark  the  extension  and  enlargement  of 
the  work,  as  compared  with  the  former. 

Sunday,  in  the  evangelistic  work,  like  every  other  day 
at  the  Bible  Institute,  began  with  seasons  of  devotion  in 
both  departments,  where  the  workers  refreshed  themselves 
with  fellowship  in  song  and  prayer  and  the  Word  of  God, 
girding  themselves  for  their  coming  labors.  Mr.  Moody 
was  announced  to  preach  in  the  Haymarket  Theater  in 
the  morning.  The  announcement  was  the  signal  for  a 
great  rush,  and  an  hour  before  the  time  a  crowd  was  at 
the  door.  Some  3000  people  were  packed  into  the  spacious 
building,  while  thousands  failed  to  get  in.  The  outside 
crowd  were  invited  to  enter  the  Standard  Theater,  three 
blocks  away,  and  soon  2500  souls  filled  that  building,  and 
still  other  hundreds  failed  to  get  in.  Mr.  Moody  preached 
with  telling  effect  to  the  great  multitude  in  the  Haymarket. 
An  observer  estimates  that  about  7000  people  surged  into 
and  about  the  two  theaters  at  the  morning  service. 

At  4  P.M.  Mr.  Moody  and  Major  Whittle  addressed  2500 

54 


TWO  SPECIMEN  DAYS  55 

people  in  the  crowded  Standard  Theater,  many  of  whom 
had  waited  there  since  the  morning  service  to  get  the 
opportunity  to  see  and  hear  the  evangelist  and  his  associ- 
ate. The  Word  was  with  power  and  manifest  effect.  In 
the  evening  Mr.  Moody  had  another  service,  preaching  to 
an  audience  of  2200  in  the  First  Congregational  Church. 

Rev.  John  McNeill  spoke  twice  in  churches  too  small 
to  contain  the  crowds  that  nocked  to  hear  him.  In  the 
morning  he  addressed  a  congregation  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  when  the  doors  had  to  be  locked  against 
the  outside  pressure  after  the  service  had  begun.  In  the 
evening,  in  the  large  Immanuel  Baptist  Church,  some 
2200  people  listened  to  his  sermon,  while  hundreds  were 
turned  away. 

Dr.  A.  B.  Simpson,  of  New  York,  preached  with  power, 
morning  and  evening,  to  congregations  of  1800  in  Chicago 
Avenue  Church. 

Dr.  C.  I.  Scofield,  of  Dallas,  Tex.,  conducted  three  ser- 
vices ;  in  the  morning  he  addressed  a  crowd  that  packed 
the  Standard  Theater  from  the  overflow  of  the  Haymarket ; 
in  the  afternoon  he  spoke  to  an  audience  of  2000  at  an- 
other place ;  and  in  the  evening  in  the  Forty-first  Street 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Dr.  J.  Munro  Gibson,  of  London,  spoke  in  the  morning 
in  the  Forty-first  Street  Presbyterian  Church  to  1200  peo- 
ple, and  in  the  evening  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
to  about  the  same  number. 

Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey  addressed  an  audience  of  all  kinds  in 
the  Standard  Theater  in  the  evening,  and  many  a  hard 
heart  was  pierced  by  the  truth. 

Major  D.  W.  Whittle  spoke  in  the  afternoon,  after  Mr. 
Moody,  in  the  Standard  Theater  meeting,  and  in  the  even- 
ing at  his  tent  at  North  Clark  and  Roscoe  Streets,  when 
salvation  came  to  many. 


56  H'OItLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Mr.  Ferd.  Schiverea  had  a  full  day  in  his  wonderful 
tent- work  at  North  and  Washtenaw  Avenues.  In  the  morn- 
ing he  spoke  to  a  crowd  of  500 ;  in  the  afternoon  he  had 
1000  hearers,  and  in  the  evening  2000,  a  great  wave  of 
human  beings  that  poured  in  and  over  and  all  around  his 
tent. 

Mr-  Merton  Smith  had  an  audience  of  1000  in  and 
around  his  tent  at  West  Fourteenth  and  Paulina  Streets. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Scroggie,  a  Scottish  evangelist,  addressed  an 
audience  of  700  in  Iinmanuel  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  F.  T.  Pierson,  aided  effectively  by  his  wife,  who 
sings  the  gospel,  conducted  three  services — two  in  the 
Columbian  Sunday-school  Building,  with  audiences  of  700 
and  800,  and  another  in  Englewood  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building, 
with  500  hearers. 

Messrs.  W.  Dalgetty  and  Ralph  Atkinson  had  their  usual 
evening  tent  services,  one  at  Twenty-sixth  Street  and 
Wentworth  Avenue,  and  the  other  at  West  Chicago  Ave- 
nue and  Lincoln  Street,  both  tents  filled  to  overflowing 
with  congregations  of  400  and  900. 

Mr.  Eichard  Hill,  another  Scotch  evangelist,  spoke  with 
power  to  a  large  audience  in  the  Campbell  Park  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  not  without  effect. 

Rev.  Niclaus  Boldt,  a  young  German  preacher  from  St. 
Paul,  held  the  closing  one  of  a  week's  services,  in  the 
German  language,  in  Christ  Chapel,  with  a  congregation 
of  about  500  deeply  impressed  hearers. 

Rev.  A.  Skoogsbergh,  a  Swedish  evangelist,  preached  in 
his  own  language,  morning  and  evening,  to  congregations 
of  800,  in  the  Bethania  Norwegian  Church. 

An  afternoon  service  in  the  Bohemian  language  was 
conducted,  when  about  500  Bohemians  heard  the  gospel 
in  their  own  language. 


TWO  SPECIMEN  DATS  57 

In  Major  Whittle's  tent  a  remarkable  meeting  for  chil- 
dren was  conducted  by  Miss  Bessie  Tyson.  Abqnt  600 
people  were  present  to  share  in  the  blessings  of  the  hour. 

At  Institute  Hall,  in  the  heart  of  Chicago's  dark  places, 
three  services  were  held  in  afternoon  and  evening,  contin- 
uing till  nearly  midnight.  An  aggregate  of  between  700 
and  800  people  were  there  brought  under  the  influence  of 
the  gospel. 

At  Bethesda  Congregational  Church,  one  of  the  Institute 
workers  conducted  a  meeting.  Mrs.  E.  M.  Whittemore, 
of  New  York,  had  a  memorable  service  among  the  400 
prisoners  in  the  jail.  In  the  afternoon  she  also  conducted 
an  impressive  consecration  meeting  in  the  Moody  Church, 
attended  by  about  300  persons. 

Some  of  the  Institute  workers  conducted  a  meeting  of 
about  600  people  at  Colonel  Clarke's  well-known  mission. 

Throughout  the  day  over  twenty  mission  services  were 
held  by  other  Institute  workers,  by  which  nearly  2000  per- 
sons were  reached  with  gospel  influences. 

The  gospel  w^agon,  manned  by  evangelists  Davis  and 
Higgins,  and  part  of  the  time  also  by  Mr.  Win.  Robertson, 
of  Edinburgh,  with  a  force  of  trained  Institute  workers, 
was  employed  morning,  afternoon,  and  evening,  reaching 
an  aggregate  of  1200  people  with  the  gospel  in  song,  ser- 
mon, and  testimony. 

About  300  people  were  addressed  in  an  open-air  service 
held  in  the  evening. 

In  all  these  meetings  the  gospel  singers  took  a  promi- 
nent and  very  important  part,  especially  in  the  great 
theater  gatherings.  There  the  strongest  forces  of  singers 
were  massed.  Messrs.  Towner,  Stebbins,  Jacobs,  Burke, 
Atkinson,  Mrs.  Pierson,  strong  male  choirs,  four  male 
quartets,  and  scores  of  other  singers  proclaimed  the  glad 


58  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

tidings  in  thrilling  song.  Trained  Christian  workers,  male 
and  female,  from  the  Bible  Institute,  assisted  in  every 
service. 

It  is  impossible  to  tabulate  the  results  of  one  Sunday's 
work  for  souls.  Hundreds  professed  faith  in  Christ. 
Many  will  carry  their  new  life  and  testimony  far  and  wide 
into  the  various  places  of  their  abode,  and  much  fruit 
shall  be  found  after  many  days. 

ONE   SPECIMEN  PEOGEAM. 

BIBLE  INSTITUTE. 

(80  Institute  Place,  near  La  Salle  and  Chicago  Avenues.) 
Salbath  Program,  October  8th. 

Mr,  Moody  preaches  in  the  Haymarket  Theater,  169 
West  Madison  Street,  at  10.30,  and  in  Immanuel  Baptist 
Church,  Michigan  Avenue,  near  Twenty-third  Street,  at 
3  and  7.  Plymouth  Congregational  Church,  Michigan 
Avenue,  near  Twenty-sixth  Street,  at  8. 

Rev.  John  McNeill,  in  the  Columbia  Theater,  Monroe 
Street,  near  Dearborn,  at  11,  and  in  Central  Music  Hall 
at  3  and  8.  Mr.  Burke  sings. 

Mr.  Henry  Varley,  of  London,  in  Hooley's  Theater,  Ran- 
dolph Street,  near  La  Salle,  at  10.30.  Mr.  Stebbins  sings. 
In  Standard  Theater,  Jackson  and  Halsted  Streets,  at  3, 
and  in  Second  Baptist  Church,  Morgan  and  Monroe  Streets, 
at  7.30. 

Rev.  A.  T.  Pierson,  D.D.,  in  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
Michigan  Avenue  and  Twentieth  Street,  at  10.45  and  7.45, 
and  in  Plymouth  Congregational  Church,  Michigan  Ave- 
nue, near  Twenty-sixth  Street,  at  3.30. 

L.  W.  Munhall,  in  Oakwood  M.  E.  Church,  Oakwood 
Boulevard  and  Langley  Avenue,  at  10.45  and  7.45. 


TWO  SPECIMEN  DATS  59 

Mr.  Chas.  Inglis,  of  London,  in  Chicago  Avenue  Church, 
corner  La  Salle  and  Chicago  Avenues,  at  10.30,  and  in  the 
People's  Institute,  Van  Buren  and  Oakley  Streets,  at  3.30 
and  7.30.  Mr.  Towner  sings. 

Rev.  Jas.  H.  Brookes,  D.D.,  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  Second 
Baptist  Church,  Morgan  and  West  Monroe  Streets,  at 
10.45 ;  in  First  Congregational  Church,  Ann  Street  and 
Washington  Boulevard,  at  3.30 ;  and  in  Chicago  Avenue 
Church  at  7.30. 

Rev.  George  C.  Needharn,  in  Langley  Avenue  Baptist 
Church,  Langley  Avenue,  near  Seventy-first  Street,  at 
10.45  and  7.45.  Union  service  in  the  afternoon  at  3; 
every  week-night  at  8. 

R.  A.  Torrey  (superintendent  of  the  Bible  Institute), 
Bible-class  in  Chicago  Avenue  Church  at  3  P.M. 

Rev.  T.  B.  Hyde,  in  Model  Sunday-school  Building,  Fifty- 
seventh  Street  and  Stony  Island  Avenue,  at  10.30  and  7.30. 
Mr.  H.  W.  Stough  sings. 

Mr.  John  H.  Elliott,  in  Belden  Avenue  Baptist  Church, 
Belden  Avenue  and  Halsted  Street,  at  10.45  and  7.45. 

Major-General  O.  O.  Howard  and  Major  Whittle,  Fourth 
Baptist  Church,  Ashland  and  Monroe  Streets,  at  10.45 ; 
Standard  Theater  at  8. 

Rev.  C.  O.  Jones,  of  Tennessee,  in  Auburn  Park  M.  E. 
Church,  622  Sixty-ninth  Street,  at  10.45  and  7.45. 

Mr.  D.  W.  Potter  preaches  in  Epworth  Hotel  Tabernacle, 
Fifty-ninth  Street  and  Monroe  Avenue,  at  10.45  and  7.45. 

Mr.  Robert  Speer,  in  Hotel  Endeavor  Tabernacle,  Sev- 
enty-fifth Street  and  Bond  Avenue,  at  10.45  and  7.45. 

Rev.  H.  C.  Trumbull,  in  First  Congregational  Church 
at  7.45. 

Mr.  Ralph  Atkinson,  at  Blue  Island,  111.,  in  M.  E.  Church 
at  10.45 ;  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at  4 ;  and  in  the  Congregational 
Church  at  7.45. 


60  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Miss  B.  B.  Tyson,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  holds  a  Chil- 
dren's Service  in  the  People's  Institute  at  10.30. 

R.  A.  Hadden,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  148 
East  Madison  Street,  in  the  evening. 

Mr.  L.  P.  Rowland,  at  Wheaton,  111.,  M.  E.  Church. 

Week-Day  Announcements,  October  9-14. 

Mr.  Moody,  at  8  P.M.  Monday,  in  the  Railroad  Chapel, 
Thirty-ninth  and  Dearborn  Streets.  Tuesday,  Epworth 
Hotel  Tabernacle. 

Major  Whittle,  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  in  the  Railroad 
Chapel  at  8  P.M. 

Rev.  John  McNeill  and  Mr.  Burke  at  8  P.M.  Monday,  in 
the  Model  Sunday-school  Building.  Tuesday,  in  the  Stand- 
ard Theater.  Wednesday,  at  Lake  Forest,  111.  Thursday, 
in  Railroad  Chapel. 

L.W.  Munhall,  in  Englewood,  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Sixty-fourth  Street  and  Yale  Avenue,  at  8  P.M. 

Rev.  Geo.  C.  Needham,  D.D.,  in  Langley  Avenue  Bap- 
tist Church,  Langley  Avenue,  near  Seventy-first  Street,  at 
8  P.M. 

Mr.  Henry  Varley,  of  London,  in  Willard  Hall,  The 
Woman's  Temple,  Monroe  and  La  Salle  Streets,  12  to  1 
o'clock  daily.  Saturday,  at  8  P.M.,  in  the  Standard  Thea- 
ter. Monday,  Epworth  Hotel  Tabernacle,  8  P.M. 

Miss  B.  B.  Tyson,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  holds  children's 
meetings  in  the  tents  during  the  afternoons. 

Central  Music  Hall,  State  and  Randolph  Streets.  Mon- 
day :  special  meeting,  10  to  2  o'clock.  All  the  preachers 
will  be  present.  Mr.  Moody  will  preach  the  sermon  he 
preached  the  night  of  the  Chicago  fire,  October  8,  1871. 
Tuesday  to  Saturday,  Mr.  Moody  and  Rev.  John  McNeill 
speak  daily  from  11  to  1  o'clock. 


TWO  SPECIMEN  DATS  61 

Mr.  Chas.  Inglis  and  Mr.  Towner,  People's  Institute, 
every  night  at  8  o'clock. 

Dr.  A.  T.  Pierson,  in  the  Fourth  Baptist  Church,  Ash- 
laud  and  Monroe  Streets,  Tuesday  to  Friday,  at  8  P.M. 

Model  Sunday-school  Building,  Fifty-seventh  Street 
and  Stony  Island  Avenue.  Meetings  every  night  at  7.30. 
Rev.  T.  B.  Hyde  in  charge.  Mr.  R.  C.  Marquis  leads  the 
singing. 

President  C.  A.  Blanchard,  of  Wheaton  College,  in  the 
Model  Sunday-school  Building,  on  Thursday,  at  7.30  P.M. 

Institute  Hall,  191  "West  Madison  Street.  Gospel  meet- 
ings every  night  at  7.30  and  10  o'clock.  Mr.  C.  H.  Stevens 
in  charge. 

The  Bible  Institute,  80  Institute  Place,  near  La  Salle 
and  Chicago  Avenues.  Lectures  every  morning  (except  Mon- 
day) :  9  o'clock,  Tuesday  to  Friday,  Mr.  Henry  Varley ; 
11  o'clock,  Tuesday  to  Friday,  Dr.  J.  H.  Brookes,  of  St. 
Louis ;  11  o'clock,  Saturday,  R.  A.  Torrey. 

Standard  Theater,  Jackson  and  Halsted  Streets.  R.  A. 
Torrey  speaks  every  night  at  8.  Mr.  Atkinson  sings. 

Five  Tents,  meetings  at  8  P.M.  : 

No.  1.  Center  Avenue  and  Orchard  Street.  Rev.  C.  O. 
Jones,  of  Tennessee,  in  charge.  Mr.  F.  H.  Jacobs  sings. 

No.  2.  Corner  Milwaukee  and  Powell  Avenues.  Ferd. 
Schiverea  preaches.  Mr.  Wellicome  leads  the  singing. 

No.  3.  Paulina  and  Walnut  Streets.  Merton  Smith 
preaches.  Children's  meetings  daily  at  4  P.M. 

No.  4.  Archer  Avenue  and  Twenty-third  Place.  W.  Dal- 
getty  preaches.  Institute  Quartet  sing. 

No.  5.  West  Chicago  Avenue  and  Lincoln  Street.  Major 
Cole  preaches.  Mr.  Wolf  leads  the  singing. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

GLIMPSES  OP  A  MONTH'S  WORK. 

AT  the  risk  of  some  repetition,  but  with  the  assurance 
of  gaining  a  fuller,  clearer  view,  we  transfer  to  these  pages 
two  brief  summary  statements  from  competent  observers 
and  participants — bird's-eye  glimpses  of  the  work  during 
one  of  the  earlier  months  of  the  campaign.  The  first  is 
from  Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Clarendon 
Street  Baptist  Church,  Boston,  who  was  associated  with 
Mr.  Moody  in  the  work  during  the  month  of  July.  Writ- 
ing for  his  own  paper,  the  Watchword,  Dr.  Gordon  says, 
with  special  reference  to  the  July  work : 

u  A  man's  work  often  furnishes  the  best  character-sketch 
of  himself  which  can  possibly  be  drawn.  We  therefore 
give  an  outline  of  Mr.  Moody's  summer  campaign  in  Chi- 
cago as  a  kind  of  full-length  portrait  of  the  evangelist 
himself.  Let  the  reader  be  reminded  that  it  is  in  the 
months  of  July  and  August,  when  many  city  pastors  are 
summering,  that  this  recreation  scheme  of  Mr.  Moody's  is 
carried  on  after  his  hard  year's  campaign  in  England  and 
America. 

"  Four  of  the  largest  churches  in  different  parts  of  the 
city  are  held  for  Sunday  evenings  and  various  week-even- 
ing services.  Two  theaters,  the  Empire  and  the  Hayinar- 
ket,  located  in  crowded  centers,  are  open  on  Sundays,  and 
the  former  on  every  week-night,  and  they  are  not  infre- 
quently filled  to  their  utmost  capacity  while  the  gospel  is 

62 


GLIMPSES   OF  A   MONTH'S   WORK  63 

preached  and  sung.  Five  tents  are  pitched  in  localities 
where  the  unprivileged  and  non-church-going  multitudes 
live.  In  these  services  are  held  nightly,  and  as  we  have 
visited  them  we  have  found  them  always  filled  with  such, 
for  the  most  part,  as  do  not  attend  any  place  of  Protes- 
tant worship.  A  hall  in  the  heart  of  the  city  is  kept  open 
night  after  night,  the  services  continuing  far  on  to  the 
morning  hours,  while  earnest  workers  are  busily  fishing 
within  and  without  for  drunkards  and  harlots,  Two  gos- 
pel wagons  are  moving  about  dispensing  the  Word  of 
Life  to  such  as  may  be  induced  to  stop  and  listen,  and 
the  workers  estimate  that  1000  or  more  are  thus  reached 
daily  of  those  who  would  not  enter  a  church  or  mission 
hall. 

"  Daily  lectures  are  given  at  the  Institute  for  the  in- 
struction in  the  Bible  of  the  students,  Christian  workers, 
ministers,  missionaries,  and  others  who  wish  to  attend. 
The  large  hall  in  which  these  lectures  are  given,  seating 
comfortably  350,  is  always  filled.  During  July  there  were 
thirty-eight  preachers,  evangelists,  and  singers,  and  other 
agents  cooperating  in  the  work,  and  their  labors  are  sup- 
plemented by  an  endless  variety  of  hou>e-to-house  and 
highway-and-hedge  effort  by  the  250  students  in  residence 
in  the  Institute. 

"  '  We  shall  beat  the  World's  Fair/  said  Mr.  Moody  good- 
naturedly,  as  we  arrived  on  the  ground.  With  malice 
toward  none  and  charity  toward  all,  this  is  what  he  set 
out  to  do,  viz.,  to  furnish  such  gospel  attractions,  by  sup- 
plementing the  churches  and  cooperating  with  them,  that 
the  multitudes  visiting  the  city  might  be  kept  in  attend- 
ance on  religious  services  on  Sunday  instead  of  attend- 
ing the  Fair.  So  it  has  been.  Mr.  Moody  estimates  that 
from  30,000  to  40,000  people  have  been  reached  by  his 
special  Sunday  evangelistic  services.  This  multiplied  by 


64  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

seven  days  easily  foots  up  about  100,000  brought  weekly 
within  reach  of  the  gospel.  The  World's  Fair  has  been 
closed  on  Sunday  for  want  of  attendance,  but  the  religious 
services  are  daily  growing.  Every  good  opening  for  the 
gospel  is  readily  seized.  When  Forepaugh's  great  circus 
tent  had  been  set  up  in  the  city  Mr.  Moody  tried  to  secure 
it  for  Sunday.  He  was  granted  the  use  of  it  for  a  Sab- 
bath morning  service,  but  as  the  manager  expected  Sun- 
day in  Chicago  to  be  a  great  harvest  day,  he  reserved  the 
tent  on  the  afternoon  and  evening  for  his  own  perform- 
ances. Fifteen  thousand  people  came  to  hear  the  simple 
gospel  preached  and  sung  at  the  morning  service.  The 
circus,  however,  was  so  poorly  attended  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening  that  Sunday  exhibitions  were  soon  aban- 
doned. More  than  that,  the  manager  said  he  had  never 
been  in  the  habit  of  giving  performances  on  Sunday  and 
should  not  attempt  it  again,  and  he  offered,  if  Mr.  Moody 
would  appoint  an  evangelist  to  travel  with  him,  to  open 
his  tent  thereafter  on  Sundays  for  gospel  meetings,  and  be 
responsible  for  all  expenses. 

"  It  was  the  same  with  the  theaters.  At  first  they  de- 
clined to  allow  religious  services  on  Sunday.  Their  per- 
formances on  that  day  not  having  proved  as  successful  as 
they  anticipated,  now  Mr.  Moody  can  hire  almost  any  one 
which  he  wishes  to  secure. 

"Eulogy  and  biographical  encomiums  upon  living  men 
are  undesirable,  and  the  writer  has  risked  the  displeasure 
of  his  friend  in  putting  so  much  into  print  concerning 
him.  But  we  may  hope  that  what  we  have  written  will 
awaken  serious  reflections  in  the  minds  of  ministers  and 
laymen  alike  concerning  the  problem  of  summer  work  and 
summer  success  for  the  gospel  in  our  great  cities. 

"We  may  also  hope  that  a  stronger  faith  in  the  divine 
administration  and  mighty  efficiency  of  the  Holy  Ghost 


GLIMPSES   OF  A   MONTH'S    WOEK  65 

may  be  hereby  inspired.  We  have  no  idea  that  the  large 
and  extensive  religious  enterprises  which  we  have  been 
describing  are  due  alone  to  the  superior  natural  endow- 
ments of  the  evangelist.  For  years  in  his  meetings  and 
conferences  we  have  heard  him  emphasize  the  presence 
and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  worker  as  the  one 
and  indispensable  condition  of  success.  It  must  be  that 
where  the  Spirit  has  been  so  constantly  recognized  and 
honored  he  has  been  doing  invisibly  and  irresistibly  much 
of  the  great  work  which  human  judgment  attributes  to 
the  man  who  is  the  chosen  agent." 

The  second  statement  we  quote  is  from  Rev.  J.  Munro 
Gibson,  D.D.,  formerly  of  Chicago,  now  of  London,  who 
spent  about  a  month  in  Chicago,  preaching  and  lecturing 
in  connection  with  Mr.  Moody's  campaign.  On  his  return 
to  his  London  congregation  he  gave  them  a  bird's-eye  view 
of  what  he  had  seen  of  the  Chicago  work,  speaking  some-' 
what  as  follows : 

"  "While  the  Fair  was  deserted  on  Sundays,  the  churches 
were  crowded.  Of  course,  wherever  Mr.  Moody  or  Mr. 
McNeill  preached  there  was  no  getting  in,  unless  you  went 
an  hour  or  more  before  the  tune.  But  even  with  only  an 
ordinary  preacher  there  would  be  a  full  church,  and  that 
not  in  the  morning  only,  but  also  at  the  evening  service, 
which  it  is  specially  difficult  to  keep  up  in  Chicago,  as  I 
remember  by  experience.  On  week-nights,  too,  the  people 
would  come  in  numbers.  Be  it  remembered  that  there 
was  not  only  the  Fair,  with  its  marvelous  illuminations, 
to  contend  with,  but  there  were  likewise  the  attractions 
in  the  city  suited  to  all  tastes — from  the  great  congresses 
on  the  questions  of  the  day  to  the  lowest  variety  show. 
One  would  think  that  in  these  circumstances  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  keep  up  the  attendance  on  a  week- 
night  at  a  religious  service.  Quite  the  contrary.  The 


66  WOKLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

churches  had  their  prayer-meetings  all  through  the  dog- 
days,  and  sometimes  when  it  was  least  expected  there 
would  be  a  crowd.  One  Wednesday  evening  I  was  asked 
to  take  a  service  at  a  new  town  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Fair  grounds.  When  I  got  there  I  was  surprised  to  find 
that  instead  of  calling  the  meeting  in  some  small  lecture- 
hall,  as  I  had  expected,  they  had  opened  the  largest  church 
in  the  place.  But  the  event  justified  what  had  appeared 
to  me  their  unreasonable  expectation,  for  not  only  was 
the  building  crowded  to  suffocation,  but  very  many  had 
to  go  away.  And  lest  you  may  suppose  that  I  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  this,  I  may  say  that  on  comparing  notes 
afterward  with  one  who  had  been  doing  the  same  thing 
in  another  suburb,  I  found  that  he  had  had  precisely  the 
same  experience. 

"But  the  regular  services  were  not  all.  Mr.  Moody 
had  not  only  done  what  he  could  to  stir  up  the  churches 
to  special  activity  during  the  great  opportunity  of  the 
Fair,  but  had  made  special  arrangements  for  extraordi- 
nary services.  He  got  possession  of  some  of  the  theaters 
in  central  positions  for  evangelistic  services.  Sometimes 
he  himself  preached  in  them,  but  the  success  did  not  de- 
pend on  his  presence,  for  when  he  was  away  at  Northfield 
you  would  find  some  able  lieutenant  like  Professor  Torrey 
of  the  Bible  Institute,  Mr.  Scroggie  of  Glasgow,  or  Mr. 
Varley  of  London,  at  the  Haymarket,  or  the  Empire,  or 
the  Standard  Theater,  preaching  the  gospel  to  a  full  house, 
and  drawing  the  gospel  net  at  the  close. 

11  These  theater  services  were,  as  I  have  said,  in  central 
places ;  but  farther  out,  though  still  in  the  crowded  parts, 
there  were  tents,  as  many  as  five,  where  the  gospel  was 
preached  night  after  night.  I  was  only  able  to  attend 
one  of  these  services ;  it  was  in  a  large  tent,  holding,  I 
should  think,  about  a  thousand  people,  and  so  brilliantly 


GLIMPSES   OF  A  MONTH'S    WORK  67 

lighted  that  the  street,  with  its  arc  lights,  seemed  dark  in 
comparison.  There  Mr.  Schiverea,  a  man  who  years  ago 
was  rescued  from  evil  ways  by  Mr.  Moody,  and  who  is 
now  a  preacher  of  great  power  with  singular  adaptation 
for  reaching  the  common  people,  was  holding  forth  to  a 
thoroughly  interested  audience,  which  almost  filled  the  tent 
in  every  part.  It  was  a  Saturday  night,  and  the  animated 
appearance  of  the  throng  in  the  tent  presented  a  singular 
and  most  encouraging  contrast  to  the  deserted  look  of  the 
saloons  and  places  of  entertainment  in  the  street  close  by. 
It  was  the  liveliest  place  I  saw  that  night,  and  I  traveled 
a  good  distance  along  the  streets. 

"  The  tent-meetings  are  held  in  the  evening  hours,  but 
when  they  are  closed  the  work  of  the  day  is  not  yet  done, 
for  if  you  go  to  Institute  Hall  on  the  west  side  you  may 
be  in  time  for  the  ten-o'clock  meeting  there — not  a  large 
and  crowded  meeting  like  the  others,  but  specially  inter- 
esting in  its  way ;  for  to  this  place  the  students  of  the 
Bible  Institute,  and  others  working  with  them  in  the 
streets  and  lanes,  will  bring,  by  ones  or  twos,  some  of  the 
very  lowest  of  the  people.  There  is  a  prayer-meeting 
earlier  in  the  evening,  and  now  from  ten  o'clock  till  mid- 
night this  hard  and  discouraging  but  Christ-like  work  will 
be  going  on. 

"  But,  now,  is  not  that  enough  ?  Surely  it  ought  to  be ; 
surely  there  will  be  no  attempt  at  morning  work  in  so 
busy  a  time.  Yes ;  there  is  more  than  an  attempt,  for  it 
is  quite  a  success.  All  through  the  season  there  have  been 
held  two  morning  meetings  at  the  main  Institute  buildings 
on  the  North  side,  one  at  nine  and  the  other  at  eleven ; 
and  now,  in  the  month  of  August,  are  they  closed  for  the 
heat  ?  No  ;  they  are  crowded  out  of  the  lecture-room,  to 
take  refuge  in  Mr.  Moody's  large  church.  They  do  not 
fill  it,  of  course,  but  even  the  nine-o'clock  meeting  looks 


68  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

respectable  in  it,  and  the  eleven-o'clock  meeting,  which  is 
taken  by  Mr.  Moody  himself  after  his  return  from  North- 
field,  nearly  fills  it,  with  the  exception  of  the  galleries, 
which  are  not  open.  These  morning  meetings  are  for  the 
special  benefit,  first  of  students  at  the  Bible  Institute, 
and  next  of  the  Christian  people  who  wish  to  have  their 
enthusiasm  kindled  to  take  part  in  the  aggressive  work, 
which  goes  on,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the  evening  and  into 
the  night." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PRESENTED  AT  NORTHFIELD. 

PROBABLY  nowhere  was  there  deeper  interest  felt  in  the 
Chicago  evangelistic  movement  than  in  Mr.  Moody's  home 
town  of  Northfield,  and  by  the  Christian  people  gathered 
there  during  the  summer  season.  When  Dr.  Gordon  ar- 
rived there  on  the  1st  of  August,  fresh  from  the  Chicago 
work,  there  was  an  eager  desire  to  learn  all  about  it,  to 
which  he  made  response  by  giving  a  morning  address  to 
the  Christian  Conference,  then  in  session,  on  "  Mr.  Moody's 
Work  in  Chicago."  Some  extracts  from  this  address  will 
afford  further  glimpses  of  some  aspects  of  the  work,  and 
form  the  fitting  prelude  of  what  followed  its  presentation. 

"  You  will  remember,"  said  Dr.  Gordon,  "  that  I  came 
to  this  conference  directly  from  Chicago,  where  I  have 
been  during  the  month  of  July  assisting  Mr.  Moody  as 
best  I  could  in  the  great  work  he  has  undertaken  for  that 
city  in  this  centennial  year.  I  have  no  doubt  that  univer- 
sal joy  has  been  experienced  among  Christians  through- 
out this  country  at  the  tidings  that  came  two  Sundays 
ago  that  the  Fair  was  closed.  It  is  closed  practically  and 
theoretically,  though  it  was  opened  last  Sunday  in  a  very 
limited  way.  Now  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  having  been 
there  a  whole  month  and  having  observed  the  work  very 
carefully,  that  the  closing  of  the  Fair  is  very  much  related 
to  the  church  and  evangelistic  work  which  has  been  going 
on  in  that  city  during  the  past  two  months.  A  single 

69 


70  WORLD'S  FAIR  CAMPAIGN 

statement  may  make  this  much  of  this  assertion  obvious : 
The  last  Sunday  I  was  there  the  Inter-Ocean  gave  the 
largest  attendance  that  could  be  counted  on  the  Fair 
grounds  as  less  than  30,000.  Mr.  Moody  estimated  that 
on  a  recent  Sunday  there  were  gathered  in  connection  with 
his  evangelistic  services  40,000  people,  while  the  regular 
church  services  were  also  remarkably  well  attended. 

"  Now  I  like  the  spirit  in  which  our  beloved  friend  and 
leader  undertook  this  work.  Some  said,  '  Let  us  boycott 
the  Fair ; '  others  said,  '  Let  us  appeal  to  the  law  and  put 
in  money  enough  to  prosecute  its  managers  and  compel 
them  to  shut  it  up.'  But  our  friend,  Mr.  Moody,  said : 
'  Now  let  us  open  so  many  preaching- places  and  present 
so  many  attractions  that  the  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  will  come  and  hear  the  gospel/  and  that  is  actually 
what  has  happened. 

"  There  are  four  churches  that  have  opened  to  the  dis- 
posal of  Mr.  Moody,  three  of  them  among  the  largest  in 
the  city,  where  meetings  have  been  held  Sunday  evenings, 
and  they  have  always  been  filled.  There  are  five  tents 
placed  in  the  most  strategic  points  for  reaching  the  non- 
church-going  masses,  and  as  I  have  visited  them  I  have 
found  them  always  filled,  and  largely  with  those  who  are 
not  accustomed  to  be  found  in  any  Protestant  places  of 
worship.  Then  two  theaters,  the  Haymarket  and  the  Em- 
pire, have  been  leased.  I  was  present  at  the  opening  of 
the  Haymarket  Theater,  and  the  first  Sunday  the  floor 
was  filled  and  the  second  gallery.  Two  Sundays  after 
the  Empire  Theater  was  filled  and  crowded  in  every  part. 
Last  Sunday  these  theaters  were  so  crowded  that  the  peo- 
ple could  not  get  in,  and  in  the  Empire  Theater,  at  the 
close  of  the  services,  after  the  gospel  had  been  preached 
an  appeal  was  made  for  those  who  desired  to  seek  the 
Lord,  and  500  people  rose  to  their  feet. 


PRESENTED  AT  NOETHFIELD  71 

"  Now  this  is  what  I  often  found  to  be  true :  that  these 
congregations  were  made  up  of  people  from  every  part  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  I  may  say  from  every 
part  of  the  globe;  everybody  that  has  come  up  to  the 
World's  Fair  is  represented  in  these  meetings — a  great 
mass  of  people  brought  together  from  every  nation  and 
every  race  in  the  world,  and  preachers  are  brought  to- 
gether who  can  speak  to  them  in  their  own  tongue.  So 
it  is  a  remarkable  movement.  I  remember  that  a  friend 
suggested  to  Mr.  Spurgeon  that  such  a  great  preacher  as 
he  ought  not  to  confine  his  ministry  to  London,  but  that 
he  ought  to  make  a  tour  around  the  world  and  preach  to 
everybody;  and  Mr.  Spurgeon  replied,  <I  can  just  stand 
in  my  place  in  London,  and  let  the  world  come  to  me ; ' 
and  so  they  did,  as  a  matter  of  fact.  And  so  this  World's 
Fair  is  a  great  opportunity  because  all  the  world  is  pres- 
ent in  Chicago,  and  being  there,  they  come  to  hear  the 
gospel.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  most  blessed  triumphs 
of  the  grace  of  God  that  on  these  Sundays  the  people  are 
attending  church  and  listening  to  the  Word  of  God  in- 
stead of  going  for  recreation.  Now  that  is  the  right  way 
to  conquer :  not  by  violence,  not  by  law,  not  by  threaten- 
ing, but  by  a  counter-attraction,  by  offering  something 
better. 

"I  have  made  this  statement  in  order  that  we  may 
praise  God  that  such  advantage  is  being  taken  of  this 
great  occasion  that  will  never  come  again.  We  shall 
never  again  see  such  an  event.  I  need  not  say  that  the 
Fair  is  magnificent ;  it  is  a  dazzling  alabaster  city  set  on 
the  lake.  People  are  there  from  every  part  of  the  earth ; 
and  next  to  that  architectural  wonder,  and  the  marvelous 
display  of  art  and  science  and  beauty  of  every  sort,  I  con- 
sider that  the  most  striking  thing  in  that  city  to-day  is 
the  evangelistic  work  that  is  going  on." 


72 

Having  presented  the  work  of  the  evangelists  in  con- 
siderable detail  to  the  deeply  interested  conference,  and 
knowing  its  enormous  expense  and  need  of  support,  Dr. 
Gordon  continued : 

"  I  have  been  here  to  every  conference,  at  least  during 
some  part  of  the  session,  since  they  began.  I  was  here 
when  that  first  building  stood  alone,  and  this  field  where 
we  stand  now  was  a  rough  and  stony  pasture.  Now  I 
remember  that  during  these  years  Mr.  Moody  has  appealed 
to  the  people  for  all  sorts  of  good  things,  but  always  re- 
fused to  have  any  aid  for  himself  in  his  work ;  when  it 
has  been  suggested  he  has  declined.  Now  he  is  absent, 
and  we  can  take  advantage  of  his  absence  to-day.  I  know 
that  this  is  a  very  heavy  enterprise  which  he  has  under- 
taken, and  we  know  very  well  that  we  have  struck  very 
hard  times  financially,  when  it  is  very  difficult  to  get 
money.  I  am  going  to  request  now  that  you  will  make 
an  offering  for  that  work,  because  you  know  it  is  a  cen- 
tennial work  that  belongs  to  the  whole  world.  We  have 
an  interest  in  the  World's  Fair ;  it  is  not  a  local,  but  a 
cosmopolitan,  affair.  I  know  that  every  person  here,  and 
some  that  are  not  here  that  will  come,  and  some  who  were 
here  and  have  gone,  when  they  hear  about  it,  will  say : 
'  I  should  delight  to  make  an  offering  as  a  testimony  of 
my  affectionate  regard  for  our  leader,  who  is  necessarily 
absent  on  account  of  his  work,  to  assist  him  in  carrying 
on  this  magnificent  World's  Fair  enterprise.'  I  am  sure 
I  shall  be  approved  in  taking  the  responsibility  of  making 
this  appeal." 

Mr.  H.  M.  Moore,  of  Boston,  followed  Dr.  Gordon  with 
an  appeal  for  such  an  offering  as  had  been  proposed.  He 
said :  "  As  I  have  come  up  to  this  convention,  I  have  no- 
ticed a  great  many  familiar  faces  here  and  there,  persons 
whose  names  I  could  not  always  recall,  but  who  I  knew 


PRESENTED  AT  NOBTHFIELD  73 

had  received  a  blessing  at  Northfield.  Now  what  do  you 
come  back  here  for  year  after  year  f  I  think  you  come, 
as  I  do,  because  you  said  in  your  very  heart  of  hearts 
that  Northfield  meets  a  felt  want  in  your  soul.  Like  Dr. 
Gordon,  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  being  here  at  every 
convention  from  the  time  the  tent  was  pitched  out  beyond 
East  Hall  and  there  was  only  the  one  building,  and  I  come 
here  because  I  feel  the  need  as  you  do. 

"Now  during  all  these  years,  how  our  minds  go  back 
from  time  to  time  !  We  remember  standing  here  on  this 
platform  when  John  G.  Woolley  gave  that  wonderful  tem- 
perance address,  and  Mr.  Moody  said  that  a  man  who 
could  talk  like  that  ought  to  be  sent  out  through  all  this 
country,  and  proposed  that  we  raise  money  enough  to 
send  him  out.  Over  $3000  was  raised,  and  since  that  time 
God  has  taken  care  of  him,  and  we  all  know  what  a  great 
work  he  has  done.  We  also  remember  how  Mr.  Shelton 
stood  here,  telling  us  of  the  needs  of  the  Indians  on  the 
frontier,  illustrating  it  with  the  affecting  story  of  the 
Indian  who  came  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  asking  if 
some  one  would  not  come  to  his  tribe  and  his  people  and 
tell  them  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  how  they  could  not  find  a 
man  to  go ;  and  we  remember  how  Mr.  Moody  raised  nearly 
$3000  to  plant  a  mission  among  the  Indians.  Then  in 
two  years  Mr.  Shelton  came  back  and  Mr.  Moody  said : 
'  It  is  a  shame  if  we  cannot  take  care  of  our  own  children,' 
and  so  he  raised  some  more  money  for  him.  And  when 
Bishop  Thoburn  was  here  Mr.  Moody  raised  $3000  and 
planted  missions  in  India,  and  the  next  year  Bishop  Tho- 
burn came  back  and  told  of  20,000  souls  converted  that 
year  through  the  money  that  had  been  given. 

'•  Now,  as  Dr.  Gordon  has  said,  here  is  a  mighty  enter- 
prise, which  Mr.  Moody  has  organized  with  his  thirty- 
three  to  thirty-six  helpers,  besides  the  220  students  who 


74  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

are  also  helping  in  this  mighty  work.  Men  are  being 
touched  by  the  power  of  the  Word  through  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  are  drawn  there,  and  are  brought  to  know  and 
believe  in  Jesus  Christ. 

"  The  work  is  not  for  Chicago  alone ;  it  is  a  work  for 
this  round  globe,  for  there  are  people  from  every  country 
and  nation  and  tribe.  It  seems  to  me,  money  given  to 
that  work  is  given  direct  for  foreign  missions,  for  I  believe 
we  wiir  find  that  Mr.  Moody  never  has  engaged  in  as  great 
a  work  (except  the  organizing  of  these  schools  here,  which 
I  believe  to  be  the  greatest  work  of  his  life)  as  he  is  doing 
there  in  Chicago,  because  those  men,  those  foreigners  that 
have  come  there  and  have  been  converted,  are  going  back 
home  to  be  missionaries  of  the  cross ;  and  I  believe  in  that 
great  day,  by  and  by,  when  you  and  I  are  gathered  with 
the  redeemed,  there  will  be  many  who  will  gather  and  sing 
the  song  of  Him  who  has  bought  us  with  his  own  precious 
blood,  who  will  say,  '  It  was  at  the  World's  Fair  in  '93  that 
I  learned  for  the  first  time  that  Jesus  Christ  died  to  save 
men.' 

"  Now  it  does  seem  to  me,  when  we  think  of  what  Mr. 
Moody  has  done  for  others,  and  never  asked  for  one  thing 
for  his  own  work,  that  we  ought  to  feel  it  a  blessed  privi- 
lege to  help  on  this  work." 

It  was  not  necessary  to  urge  the  people  to  contribute 
to  the  support  of  the  work  of  which  they  had  heard  such 
good  report.  The  cause  made  its  own  appeal,  and  the  re- 
sponse was  prompt,  hearty,  and  generous.  In  sums  vary- 
ing from  one  to  five  hundred  dollars  the  pledges  came  in 
from  all  parts  of  the  hall,  and  in  half  an  hour  over  $6000 
was  reported.  A  telegram  announcing  the  good  news 
was  promptly  sent  to  Mr.  Moody  at  Chicago.  When  the 
telegram  arrived  it  was  a  time  of  special  need  and  per- 
plexity. The  finances  were  unusually  low,  and  $4000  was 


PRESENTED  AT  NORTHFIELD  75 

needed  to  meet  present  obligations.  Mr.  Moody,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  experience,  said:  "I  called  a  meeting  of  the 
leaders  to  consider  what  was  to  be  done  to  meet  our 
obligations.  I  did  not  like  to  speak  to  them  of  money 
matters,  for  they  had  so  much  else  to  attend  to.  While 
gathered  together  the  telegram  came  from  Northfield  stat- 
ing that  $6000  had  been  raised  to  carry  on  the  work,  and 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  welcome  it  was,  or  how  grateful  I 
am  to  those  who  gave  it.  I  recognize  it  not  as  coming 
from  them,  but  from  the  Lord." 

Several  days  later  the  Northfield  contribution  was  in- 
creased to  $10,000,  many  of  the  former  givers  doubling 
their  gifts,  while  many  new-comers  contributed  gifts  rang- 
ing from  fifty  cents  to  five  hundred  dollars.  It  was  a 
timely  act,  for  it  strengthened  the  hands  of  the  leaders 
in  Chicago,  and  cheered  them  on  in  the  great  and  difficult 
work  they  had  undertaken. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  HAYMARKET  MEETING. 

REPEATED  reference  has  been  made  to  the  theaters  as 
centers  of  operation  in  spreading  the  gospel.  It  was  well 
known  that  the  attempt  to  gather  congregations  for  relig- 
ious services  and  for  soul-saving  in  such  buildings,  in  the 
midst  of  a  very  hell  of  saloons  and  vile  resorts  of  all 
kinds,  was  by  many  regarded  as  a  daring,  if  not  fool- 
hardy experiment.  But  God  from  the  first  set  his  seal  of 
power  upon  the  effort  and  honored  the  faith,  love,  and  zeal 
of  his  servants.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  people, 
unused  to  song  and  prayer  and  gospel  preaching,  were  in 
those  places  brought  under  the  gracious  influence  of  the 
Word  and  Spirit  of  God,  and  many  found  there  the  way 
of  a  new  life  in  Jesus  Christ.  There,  too,  many  were 
reached  and  reclaimed  who  had  wandered  away  from 
Christ  into  lifeless  formality  or  heartless  skepticism,  and 
heart-sick  devotees  of  worldly  pleasure  found  the  abiding 
joy  and  peace  of  the  life  eternal. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  meetings  in  the  Haymarket 
Theater  were  in  some  respects  the  most  remarkable.  It 
is  not  possible  for  the  writer,  by  any  written  description, 
to  convey  to  a  reader  anything  like  an  adequate  impres- 
sion of  the  appearance,  the  spirit,  the  movement,  the  tre- 
mendous power  and  cumulative  effect  of  these  meetings. 
It  must  suffice  to  give  here  the  merest  shadow  sketch  of 
one  Sunday's  meeting,  as  a  specimen  of  the  whole. 

76 


A   HATMABKET  MEETING  77 

All  observer,  taking  his  position  in  front  of  the  theater 
at  least  an  hour  before  the  appointed  time  for  opening 
the  doors,  found  himself  not  a  moment  too  soon  to  secure 
a  vantage-place  in  the  gathering  crowd.  From  that  time 
on  a  constant  stream  of  people  came  flowing  toward  the 
building  and  massing  together  before  the  closed  doors. 
By  cable  cars,  carriages,  wagons,  carettes,  and  on  foot, 
from  the  south  side,  way  out  near  the  Fair  grounds,  from 
all  parts  of  the  city  and  from  afar,  they  came,  filling  the 
large  area,  packing  and  overflowing  the  sidewalk  and  the 
street.  The  eagerness  and  intensity  of  interest  manifest 
in  the  faces  and  actions  of  the  multitude  was  something 
not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  As  soon  as  the  heavy  doors 
swung  open  the  human  waves  rolled  in,  and  in  a  short 
time  all  the  seats  and  standing-room  on  stage,  floor,  gal- 
leries, and  boxes  were  occupied.  Three  thousand  souls 
were  crowded  into  the  building,  and  it  was  estimated  that 
from  three  to  four  thousand  more  failed  to  gain  entrance. 
As  soon  as  the  Haymarket  was  full,  packed  from  stage  to 
dome,  another  theater,  the  Standard,  three  blocks  away, 
was  opened  to  accommodate  the  overflow.  A  number  of 
Mr.  Moody's  workers  went  about,  calling  to  the  disap- 
pointed multitude  outside  the  Haymarket,  "This  way! 
Overflow  meeting  at  the  Standard  Theater,  three  blocks 
away.  This  way ! "  Only  a  personal  explanation  and 
persuasion  could  induce  many  to  start  for  the  Standard. 
Some  were  unwilling  to  go  anywhere  except  where  Mr. 
Moody  appeared  in  person. 

"  Can't  we  get  in  to  get  a  peep  at  him  ? "  said  one  man, 
who  had  in  his  charge  several  ladies. 

"  We  started  here  two  hours  before  time,"  said  another, 
"  and  we  are  going  to  see  Mr.  Moody  if  it  takes  all  day." 

Soon  the  Standard  Theater  also  was  filled,  and  still  an 
overflow  of  hundreds  remained  to  drift  awav  into  the 


78  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

streets  again.  The  parquet,  balcony,  and  gallery  pre- 
sented au  unbroken  expanse  of  faces  ranged  in  semicircles 
one  above  another.  The  stairways  were  crowded,  and  on 
the  stage  worshipers  sat  as  closely  together  as  chairs  could 
be  placed.  The  scenery  was  drawn  up  high  overhead,  and 
flies  and  wings  were  removed.  Every  window  and  door 
was  thrown  open,  letting  in  floods  of  air  and  daylight, 
and  a  continuous  meeting  was  held  throughout  the  day, 
people  going  and  coming.  Some  relinquished  their  places 
only  long  enough  to  eat  luncheon,  remaining  till  4  P.M., 
when  they  also  were  enabled  to  see  and  hear  Mr.  Moody. 

The  scene  in  the  Haymarket  Theater  was  most  striking 
and  impressive.  Looking  out  from  the  back  of  the  stage, 
which  had  been  cleared  of  all  obstructions,  from  the  foot- 
lights to  the  wall,  the  eye  fell  first  upon  the  thousands  of 
uplifted  faces  on  the  floor,  then  swept  upward  to  the  three 
great  clouds  of  witnesses  in  the  boxes  and  galleries  that 
overhung  these,  one  above  another,  up  to  the  dizzy  height 
of  the  dome.  In  those  endlessly  diversified  faces  turned 
toward  the  stage,  where  stood  the  man  of  God  whom  all 
had  come  to  hear,  one  could  read  a  varied  tale  of  eager 
expectation,  anxious  desire,  carelessness,  curiosity,  quiet, 
confident  expectation,  painful  suspense,  spiritual  unrest 
and  struggle,  unsatisfied  soul-hunger,  sorrow  and  misery, 
defiant  hardness,  gloomy  despondency,  skeptical  indiffer- 
ence, prayerful  repose,  triumphant  faith. 

On  the  stage,  massed  around  and  behind  Mr.  Moody, 
were  several  evangelists  and  other  Christian  workers,  two 
quartets  of  singers,  Towner's  male  choir,  a  large  body  of 
male  and  female  singers,  and  the  song  leaders,  George  C. 
Stebbins,  D.  B.  Towner,  and  F.  H.  Jacobs,  with  a  multi- 
tude filling  the  stage  behind  them.  About  four  hundred 
electric  lights  cast  their  glow  over  the  scene. 

The  opening  song-service  was  conducted  with  the  usual 


A   HAYMABKET  MEETING  79 

readiness,  promptitude,  and  tact.  Song  followed  song, 
from  choir,  quartet,  soloists,  and  congregation,  with  prayer 
in  its  season,  making  way  for  the  sermon  to  follow.  It 
was  interesting  to  see  the  deepening  effect  upon  the  people 
of  the  songs,  especially  the  tender,  touching  solo,  "  Some 
Sweet  Day,"  by  Mr.  Stebbins,  and  the  beautiful,  impressive 
plea  by  the  Towner  chorus,  "  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart." 
As  these  songs  were  being  sung  one  could  see  how  they 
won  their  way  into  many  a  heart,  stirring  them  to  un- 
wonted thoughts,  and  opening  the  fountain  of  tears. 

After  the  song  service  Mr.  Moody  broke  in  with  an  an- 
nouncement. "  We  want  to  keep  up  these  meetings,"  he 
said.  "  We  go  from  the  Empire  Theater  because  we  can 
no  longer  get  it,  and  enter  the  Standard  Theater.  We 
want  to  reach  and  save  the  drunkards,  the  fallen,  the 
wretched,  the  lost.  We  want  your  sympathy  and  help. 
Now,"  he  cried,  "  all  who  want  the  theater  meetings  con- 
tinued lift  up  your  hands ;  "  and  all  over  the  building 
hands  flashed  up.  "  That  is  very  encouraging,"  continued 
Mr.  Moody.  "Now  put  your  hands  into  your  pockets. 
We  are  going  to  take  up  a  collection  for  the  support  of 
the  work."  This  sharp  turn  amused  and  pleased  the  peo- 
ple, for  the  voters  were  neatly  caught  by  an  immediate 
test  of  their  sincerity. 

After  the  collection  and  another  song  or  two,  Mr.  Moody 
rose  and  dashed  at  once  into  his  subject.  He  spoke  of 
the  triumphant  life  of  the  Christian  overcomer,  the  diffi- 
culties that  beset  it,  and  the  glorious  rewards  that  await 
it  in  heaven,  driving  home  the  word  with  overpowering 
unction  and  effect.  "  I  want  to  speak  about  the  overcom- 
ing life,"  he  said.  "  Every  one  is  either  overcoming  or 
being  overcome.  I  want  to  tell  you  how  to  overcome  and 
who  are  the  overcomers.  You  and  I  are  more  interested 
in  this  fight  than  in  any  of  the  great  battles  of  history. 


80  WORLD'S  FAIR   CA1TPAI<;\ 

Who  is  it  that  overcomes  the  world  ?  Who  is  the  victor  ? 
He  that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God. 

"  When  I  was  converted  I  thought  it  was  all  done,  that 
I  could  lay  the  oars  in  the  boat  and  let  the  current  bear  it 
on.  I  soon  found  my  mistake.  Let  none  think  that  the 
battle  is  fought  when  the  gift  of  salvation  is  received. 
It  is  only  begun. 

"  It  is  folly  for  any  of  you  to  attempt  to  fight  this  battle 
without  Christ  in  you  the  hope  of  glory.  It  is  impossible. 
You  must  have  a  new  life  before  you  can  fight  the  battle 
of  a  Christian  life.  Abraham,  Jacob,  Moses,  Elijah,  Peter, 
apart  from  God  made  wretched  failures.  They  fell  at 
the  strongest  point  of  their  character.  Away  from  God 
these  strong  men  were  weak  as  water  and  were  overcome. 
We  stand,  we  walk,  we  live,  we  fight,  we  overcome  by  faith. 

"  It  is  a  good  thing  to  find  out  who,  what,  and  how 
strong  our  enemies  are,  if  we  are  to  fight,  and  not  to 
underestimate  their  strength.  We  have  self  to  overcome. 
We  must  overcome  it,  or  be  overcome.  The  greatest  ene- 
my that  ever  crossed  my  path  was  D.  L.  Moody.  Our 
enemies  are  within.  We  must  get  the  victory  over  self, 
our  appetites,  passions,  lusts.  What  we  want  everywhere 
just  now  is  home  piety.  Selfishness  crucified,  and  Christ- 
likeness  formed.  What  does  it  all  amount  to  if  you  go 
to  church  and  run  all  the  rounds  of  a  formal  Christian 
life,  and  live  a  cold,  selfish,  unlovely  life  at  home  ? 

"  How  can  I  overcome  1  Treat  what  you  call  your  weak- 
nesses and  infirmities  as  sins.  Confess  them  to  God. 
Confess  to  those  you  have  wronged.  We  must  be  co- 
workers  with  God  in  this,  hate  and  abhor  what  he  hates, 
have  fellowship  with  him,  then  we  can  overcome  in  his 
strength.  No  enemies  can  stand  before  the  strength  of 
God,  Christ  in  us.  Are  you  overcoming,  or  are  you  being 
overcome  ?  Have  you  gained  or  lost  since  you  began  the 
Christian  life  ? 


A   HAYHARKET  MEETING  81 

"  One  of  the  most  damnable  sins  of  the  time  is  envy, 
jealousy.  It  is  wide-spread.  It  eats  like  a  cancer,  it  burns 
like  fire.  God  deliver  us  from  it !  What  we  want  to-day 
is  a  higher  type  of  Christianity.  Why  don't  you  say 
Amen !  [Cries  of  "  Amen !  "]  We  are  a  bad  lot !  We 
may  as  well  know  it !  Begin  now  and  set  yourself  right 
with  God.  Get  victory  over  yourself.  Begin  there,  at 
home.  Get  the  overcoming  power.  Stand  for  God.  Dare 
to  do  right !  Dare  to  be  right !  Dare  to  stand  alone  ! 

"  Look  at  the  eight  l  overcomes '  of  Revelation.  Look 
at  the  exceeding  great  rewards  of  those  who  overcome. 
It  is  wonderful.  Oh,  the  riches  of  grace  and  glory !  It  is 
said  of  certain  New  York  millionaires  that  their  fortunes 
are  so  large  they  can't  tell  how  rich  they  are.  That's  my 
case  !  I  am  a  millionaire  !  You  didn't  know  it,  did  you  ? 
Well,  I  am !  I  can't  tell  how  rich  I  am.  He  that  over- 
cometh  shall  inherit  all  things,  all  tilings,  ALL  THINGS! 
Think  of  that !  '  All  things  are  yours  ! ' ' 

The  people  were  profoundly  impressed  by  the  truth,  and 
many  expressed  a  desire  to  be  saved.  These  were  invited 
to  the  front,  where  a  number  of  Christian  workers  met 
them  for  conversation,  and  put  into  their  hands  copies  of 
Mr.  Moody's  book,  "  The  Way  and  the  Word,"  showing  the 
way  of  life  to  the  inquiring  soul.  With  prayer  and  song 
the  service  closed,  and  the  assembled  thousands,  from  all 
parts  of  the  land,  dispersed  to  meet  never  again  in  this 
world. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

IN  THE  EMPIRE   THEATER. 

WE  have  witnessed  a  specimen  Sunday  service  in  the 
Haymarket  Theater,  conducted  by  Mr.  Moody.  Now  we 
go  to  a  Monday  evening  meeting  in  the  Empire  Theater. 
We  go  out  West  Madison  Street.  On  our  way  we  pass 
all  kinds  of  places  whereunto  men  and  women  repair  to 
seek  amusement,  to  kill  time,  to  inflame  passion,  to  feed 
lust,  to  breed  crime.  What  sights  and  sounds  and  smells 
are  here !  What  swarms  of  poor,  degraded,  wretched, 
ruined  beings  are  here,  seeking  again  the  fire  that  has 
scorched  and  blistered  them,  body  and  soul;  handling 
again  the  biting  serpent  and  stinging  adder;  crawling 
deeper  and  deeper  into  viler  fellowships  and  more  damn- 
ing pollutions. 

We  pause  in  the  blaze  of  the  electric  light  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  theater.  A  stream  of  all  sorts  of  people  is  flow- 
ing through  its  wide,  marble-paved  hall,  into  auditorium, 
boxes,  and  galleries.  We  enter.  There  is  no  scenery  on 
the  stage.  The  footlights  are  out.  The  company  of  men 
and  women  clustered  together  there  are  not  in  stage  dress. 
No  artificial,  imitation  human  beings  are  they,  to  stand 
as  counterfeits  of  the  mighty  or  the  ignoble  dead.  Only 
a  company  of  twoscore  Christian  singers,  with  a  gospel 
preacher  or  two,  servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  come  to  bear 
witness  on  that  stage  to  the  most  stupendous  facts  and 
realities  ever  disclosed  in  this  world  of  shadow  and  sham. 

82 


83 

Just  now  a  burst  of  song  silences  the  hum  of  voices  and 
the  stir  of  restless  feet.  Beside  the  organ  on  the  stage 
stands  the  gospel  singer,  Mr.  D.  B.  Towner,  pouring  forth 
a  stream  of  rich  melody  that  swells  to  the  roof  and  rolls 
out  into  the  crowded  street.  Every  word  of  the  song  rings 
out  with  enunciation  so  clear  and  distinct,  and  withal  so 
richly  musical  and  true,  that  he  who  runs  may  hear  and 
understand  and  enjoy.  The  people  stop  on  the  street  to 
listen,  and  come  in  to  hear  more.  Song  after  song  follows 
— solo,  duet,  quartet,  chorus,  congregational,  intermingled 
with  brief  prayers  that  go  straight  to  the  mark.  And 
still  the  people  are  coming,  some  to  stand  awhile  on  the 
rim  of  the  auditorium,  to  see  what  it  all  means,  then  drift 
away  again  to  more  congenial  associations,  others  to  stay 
for  what  is  to  follow. 

The  conductor  of  this  strange  "  perf ormance  "  is  Rev. 
R.  A.  Torrey,  superintendent  of  the  Chicago  Bible  Insti- 
tute. He  drives  through  the  service  with  Moody-like 
energy,  losing  not  a  moment  nor  an  opportunity.  He 
rises  to  preach  and  leaps  right  into  his  subject,  rushing 
on  with  increasing  momentum  of  thought  and  energy, 
gripping  the  reason  and  conscience  of  his  hearers  with  the 
divine  logic  of  the  "Word  of  God,  and  bearing  them  along 
to  his  inevitable  conclusion.  His  theme  is  Repentance. 
Yes,  repentance  on  the  stage,  in  the  theater.  It  is  needed 
there.  Ah,  this  is  more  than  a  play.  The  "  scenery  "is 
visible  only  to  the  soul.  Its  background  is  the  judgment- 
throne  of  God,  and  the  white  light  of  eternity  plays  over 
the  whole  scene.  The  "  actors "  are  not  on  the  stage  to- 
night, but  in  the  boxes  and  the  seats  of  the  auditorium 
and  galleries — sinful  men  and  women  face  to  face  with 
the  truth  and  Spirit  of  God,  deciding  questions  of  life  and 
death  for  time  and  eternity. 

The  preacher  drives  home  the  declaration  of  Acts  xvii. 


84  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

30,  that  "  God  now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to 
repent."  He  shows  that  John  the  Baptist  and  Christ  and 
the  apostles,  Paul  included,  preached  repentance,  and  that 
the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  preached  practically 
the  same  truth,  and  concludes  that  a  subject  that  occupied 
so  much  of  the  attention  of  the  inspired  preachers  must 
be  of  great  importance.  He  defines  repentance  as  simply 
a  change  of  mind  which  issues  in  a  change  of  conduct. 
The  sinner  must  change  his  mind  about  sin,  about  God, 
and  about  Christ,  accepting  the  Bible  view  in  place  of  his 
own,  turning  away  from  sin,  turning  to  God  to  obey  him 
and  to  Christ  to  accept  him.  "  Anybody  in  this  theater 
now  can  repent  here  and  now.  He  cannot  do  it  without 
the  Spirit  of  God,  but  the  Spirit  is  trying  now  to  bring 
you  to  repentance,  and  you  can  now  repent." 

Why  should  you  repent  ?  First,  because  God  commands 
it.  He  "  now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent." 
Second,  unless  you  do  you  shall  perish.  That  man  there, 
that  woman  in  the  gallery,  good  or  bad,  must  repent  or 
perish.  Third,  because  you  must  appear  before  the  judg- 
ment-seat of  Christ.  You  adulterer,  you  robber,  you  swin- 
dler, you  seducer,  you  Sabbath-breaker,  you  blasphemer, 
you  rejecter  of  Jesus  Christ,  must  appear  before  the  judg- 
ment of  God !  Fourth,  because  repentance  brings  pardon. 
When  one  truly  repents  God  will  blot  out  all  his  sins. 
Oh,  you  robber,  you  murderer,  you  drunkard,  repent  and 
turn  to  God  and  he  will  blot  out  all  your  sins.  Thank 
God  for  a  gospel  that  wipes  out  forever  all  sins  of  the  sad 
past!  Fifth,  because  God  is  love.  "The  goodness  of 
God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance."  The  preacher  presses 
the  truth  upon  the  conscience  with  great  power,  with  mani- 
fest effect. 

The  faces  of  the  listening  people  are  a  study.  They 
make  unconscious  revelations  of  what  is  going  on  within 


IN  THE  EMPIEE   THEATER  85 

as  the  Spirit  of  God  applies  the  truth  to  their  hearts. 
Near  the  stage  we  see  a  strong,  square,  firm  face  that  is 
darkening  with  unutterable  woe.  It  makes  one  shudder. 
There  is  one  over  whose  gloom  we  see  the  light  of  a  new 
resolve  slowly  come  to  its  rising.  There  is  one  whose  piti- 
ful soul-hunger  moves  to  tears.  There  is  another  racked 
by  conflicting  emotions  that  betray  the  struggle  of  a  con- 
victed soul.  Not  a  few  tell  the  tale  of  awful  depravity, 
almost  hopeless  hardening,  seared  consciences,  determined 
hatred  and  resistance  of  the  truth.  But,  thank  God,  a 
number  of  convicted  ones  yield  to  the  better  impulse  to 
repent  and  turn  to  God. 

The  sermon  closes  with  a  prayer,  then  Mr.  Towner  pleads 
tenderly  in  song,  "  Will  you  not  come  to  Him  now  ? "  An- 
other hymn  follows,  another  prayer,  than  an  after-meet- 
ing, when  a  number  of  persons  arise  at  the  call  of  the 
preacher  in  token  of  their  desire  for  salvation.  A  touch- 
ing duet  follows,  while  Christians  silently  pray,  then  a 
closing  prayer  for  the  repentant  ones,  and  another  season 
of  song,  while  the  preacher  and  other  Christians  pass  to 
and  fro  among  the  people  to  deal  with  individual  souls 
about  their  salvation.  With  this  the  meeting  ends,  but 
some  still  linger  to  a  late  hour,  held  by  the  pleading  of 
some  loving  heart. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

FROM  EMPIRE  TO   STANDARD  THEATER. 

THE  second  theater  which  Mr.  Moody  succeeded  in  en- 
tering with  the  gospel  was  the  Empire,  not  far  from  the 
Hayinarket.  For  five  weeks,  every  evening,  and  thrice  on 
Sundays,  the  building  was  made  to  ring  with  song,  prayer, 
sermon,  and  testimony.  In  this,  as  in  the  other  places  of 
similar  character,  the  masses  of  the  people  were  found 
accessible  to  a  remarkable  degree.  The  work  was  greatly 
blessed.  Many  striking  cases  of  conversion  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  workers  during  those  meetings.  Stran- 
gers from  afar,  men  caught  in  the  rapids  of  dissipation, 
and  tossed  about  in  saloons,  gambling-dens,  and  other 
vile  resorts,  miserable  prodigals  far  and  long  from  home, 
despairing  wretches  on  the  verge  of  hell,  drifted  into  the 
theater  meetings  and  there  heard  the  sweet  gospel  story, 
and  found  salvation  from  sin  and  death. 

After  five  weeks  the  owner  of  the  Empire  Theater  de- 
clined to  extend  the  lease  to  the  evangelists.  The  closing 
meeting  was  held  on  Saturday  evening,  August  19th,  con- 
ducted by  Evangelist  Merton  Smith.  A  special  effort  was 
made  to  reach  the  intemperate  with  songs,  testimonies, 
sermon,  and  appeal.  The  Scotch  evangelist,  Rev.  John 
McNeill,  delivered  the  principal  address.  He  was  in  his 
happiest  mood  and  at  his  best,  playing  at  will  on  the  re- 
sponsive heart-chords  of  the  multitude  before  him.  He 
gave  a  fascinating  bit  of  autobiography,  in  language,  spir- 
it, style,  and  manner  simply  inimitable.  With  a  few  sim- 

86 


FROM  EMPIRE   TO  STANDARD   THEATER  87 

pie  master-touches  he  set  before  our  often  tear-dimmed 
eyes  an  exquisite  picture  of  the  home  of  his  childhood, 
one  of  those  typical  Scottish  homes  which  are  the  seed- 
beds of  all  manly  virtues  and  womanly  graces,  the  glory 
of  the  better  Scotland  whose  magnificent  contribution  to 
the  world  has  been  a  galaxy  of  godly  heroes  that  shine  as 
the  stars  forever  and  ever.  As  he  spoke  of  the  cheery, 
happy  home  life,  the  strong,  noble,  godly  father,  and  the 
sweet,  gentle  mother,  and  turned  it  all  into  an  overwhelm- 
ing plea  for  happy  homes,  many  a  face  was  wet  with  tears 
and  lighted  up  with  new  resolve  for  the  better  life.  Re- 
peating Burns's  "  Cotter's  Saturday  Night,"  he  said  that 
what  the  poet  pictured  was  a  reality  under  his  father's 
roof.  When  the  scene  stood  complete  before  us,  the 
speaker  broke  into  a  tender,  touching  appeal  that  went 
irresistibly  to  the  heart.  "Come  back  to  your  father's 
God !  "  he  cried.  The  people  were  profoundly  moved,  and 
in  many  cases  emotion  ripened  into  holy  resolve  and  res- 
olute decision  for  Christ.  The  simple  story  of  his  own 
conversion  at  a  railroad-station  deepened  the  impression 
as  this  unreportable  address  drew  to  its  close. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  the  meetings  were  transferred 
from  the  Empire  to  the  Standard  Theater,  a  building  capa- 
ble of  accommodating  about  2500  persons,  located  in  one 
of  the  darkest  spots  in  Chicago,  in  a  solid  block  of  vile 
resorts,  where  abominable  iniquity  ran  riot  to  the  damna- 
tion of  multitudes. 

The  first  service  in  the  new  place  proved  the  wisdom  of 
the  choice.  The  house  was  packed,  and  hundreds  had  to 
go  away  disappointed.  Rev.  Dr.  C.  I.  Scofield,  of  Dallas, 
Tex.,  preached  with  power.  Another  meeting  followed  at 
4  P.M.,  addressed  by  Mr.  Moody  and  Major  Whittle,  with 
service  of  song  by  Towner,  Stebbins,  Jacobs,  Atkinson, 
and  the  Kimball  Quartet.  So  great  was  the  desire  of 


88  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

many  strangers  to  hear  Mr.  Moody  that  they  remained 
over  from  the  morning  service  in  order  to  secure  places 
in  the  crowded  building,  from  which  so  many  had  to  go 
away  disappointed.  A  third  meeting  was  held  in  the  even- 
ing, addressed  by  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey.  In  all  these  meet- 
ings the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  rested  manifestly 
upon  the  people,  and  it  seemed  as  if  a  visible  divine  seal 
were  being  stamped  upon  the  enterprise. 

Evening  after  evening  during  this  opening  week  the 
work  continued  with  a  deepening  sense  of  God's  presence 
in  the  meetings.  One  evening,  after  a  sermon  of  convict- 
ing power  by  Mr.  Torrey,  while  the  preacher  was  pointing 
many  inquirers  in  the  auditorium  to  Christ,  Mr.  Towner, 
the  song  leader,  was  doing  the  same  thing  on  the  stage, 
where  a  number  were  converted.  On  another  evening, 
after  addresses  by  Colonel  Hadley,  the  well-known  mission 
worker  of  New  York  City,  and  Mr.  Torrey,  about  three 
fourths  of  the  congregation  remained  for  the  inquiry- 
meeting,  and  many  came  into  the  light  of  a  new  life. 

On  Thursday  evening  Mr.  Moody  spoke  on  the  loving 
tenderness  of  Christ  with  divine  power.  Himself  most 
deeply  moved  by  the  truth  he  preached,  his  tears  fell  like 
rain  and  his  voice  choked  and  thrilled  with  emotion,  as 
his  yearning  heart  went  out  toward  the  poor  lost  souls 
for  whom  Jesus  died.  The  power  of  God  came  upon  the 
people.  All  over  the  house  were  faces  wet  with  tears,  and 
hard  hearts  melted  like  wax  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
in  the  tenderness  of  his  love.  The  promise  of  the  open- 
ing week  was  amply  fulfilled  in  the  weeks  that  followed, 
for  the  meetings  in  the  Standard  Theater,  from  that  time 
to  the  close  of  the  campaign,  were  among  the  most  suc- 
cessful held  anywhere'.  From  two  to  four  times  every 
Sunday,  and  every  evening  of  the  week,  the  gospel  was 
preached  with  saving  effect  to  multitudes  of  people,  many 
of  them  the  worst  and  most  wretched  of  their  kind. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

GOOD  CHEER — PROGRESS — OBJECT-LESSON. 

IT  is  well  known  to  all  who  are  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Moody  that  he  is  a  Christian  optimist,  or,  rather,  a  man 
of  luminous  faith,  cheery  hope,  intrepid  courage,  and  un- 
quenchable enthusiasm.  He  has  learned  the  beautiful 
Pauline  lesson  of  "forgetting  those  things  that  are  be- 
hind, and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  be- 
fore." He  believes  that  in  order  to  succeed  in  Christian 
work  the  workers  must  be  "  of  good  courage."  All  this 
was  most  manifest  in  the  most  trying  times  of  the  cam- 
paign. Always  looking  on  the  bright  side — that  is,  the 
God  side — of  things,  he  not  only  inspired  others  with  his 
own  contagious  faith  and  courage,  but  took  every  oppor- 
tunity to  encourage,  cheer,  and  spur  them  on  by  word  and 
deed.  To  his  clear  view  the  successive  days  grew  better 
and  better,  even  when  some  of  his  friends  failed  to  dis- 
cern the  signs  as  he  did.  "  I  believe  this  is  the  best  day 
Chicago  has  ever  seen,"  said  he,  again  and  again.  And 
he  knew  the  Chicago  he  spoke  about.  "  Before  the  World's 
Fair  closes,"  he  confidently  declared,  "  we  shall  have  great 
blessing."  He  had  an  assurance  that  could  not  fail. 
"  Think,"  said  he,  as  his  glance  swept  over  the  thousands 
of  eager  faces  that  looked  into  his,  "  think  of  the  people 
from  these  meetings  carrying  the  sacred  fire  with  them 
into  all  the  places  where  they  go,  throughout  this  country 
and  in  other  lands !  Never  have  I  seen  such  eagerness 


90  WOULD' 3  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

to  hear  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  as  in  these  days.  I 
think  I  have  not  seen  in  America  anything  that  has  been 
more  encouraging  than  the  work  in  Chicago  in  the  last 
three  months." 

"  I  believe,"  he  said,  on  another  occasion,  "  that  we  shall 
see  signs  and  wonders  in  these  days.  It  seeins  as  if  there 
is  a  wave  of  salvation  about  to  flow  over  this  land.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  country  is  ripe  for  one  of  the  great- 
est religious  awakenings  it  has  ever  seen.  In  our  great 
prosperity  many  of  us  have  forgotten  God,  and  the  pres- 
ent time  of  business  depression,  disappointment,  and  suf- 
fering is  bringing  men  to  realize  their  need  of  Jesus  Christ. 
I  am  looking  for  a  great  movement  throughout  the  coun- 
try the  coming  fall  and  winter.  If  the  Church  of  God 
would  only  wake  up,  we  should  certainly  have  the  greatest 
revival  the  world  has  ever  known.  We  are  surely  going 
to  win  this  battle  if  we  hold  on  long  enough.  Let  us  see 
to  it  that  we  ourselves  are  quickened  and  filled  with  the 
Spirit,  that  we  may  be  ready  for  our  God-given  'opportu- 
nity to  do  our  part  in  the  great  work." 

Again  he  said :  "  The  year  1890  was  a  good  year,  but 
1891  was  better,  1892  better  still,  and  1893  best  of  all, 
and  if  I  live  to  see  1894  I  expect  that  year  will  be  better 
than  1893.  '  The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light, 
that  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.'  I  be- 
lieve we  are  living  in  the  grandest  days  this  century  or 
this  age  has  seen.  Some  one  in  Chicago  recently  said  that 
the  Sabbath  is  a  pest,  and  must  be  wiped  out.  Instead 
of  the  Sabbath  being  wiped  out,  I  don't  know  but  God  is 
going  to  turn  all  the  week-days  into  holy  Sabbaths,  and 
give  us  days  of  heaven  on  this  earth."  It  was  with  this 
trustful,  hopeful,  cheery,  fore-looking  spirit  that  the  great 
and  difficult  enterprise  in  Chicago  was  commenced,  con- 
tinued, and  completed. 


GOOD  CHEEK— PROGRESS— OBJECT-LESSON    91 

At  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  month,  August,  the 
evangelistic  forces  occupied  about  ten  churches,  seven 
halls,  two  theaters,  and  five  tents,  the  latter  being  moved 
from  one  strategic  point  to  another,  as  occasion  required. 
Up  to  this  time  the  north,  the  west,  and  the  south  sides 
of  the  wide-spreading  city,  with  its  suburbs,  were  reached 
with  a  succession  of  attractive,  powerful,  and  effective 
meetings.  From  two  to  three  hundred  workers  were  in 
active  service,  under  the  capable  leadership  of  the  experi- 
enced lieutenants  whom  Mr.  Moody  had  called  to  his  aid. 
At  this  time  an  aggregate  of  about  120  gospel  meetings, 
exclusive  of  many  gatherings  for  prayer  and  counsel,  were 
held  weekly,  fifteen  on  week-days,  and  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  on  Sundays.  From  30,000  to  40,000  persons  came 
under  the  influence  of  the  gospel  on  Sunday.  On  several 
occasions  all-day  meetings  were  held  in  the  tents,  with  at- 
tendance and  sustained  interest  that  were  simply  amazing. 
It  seemed  almost  incredible  that  two  great  theaters  on  the 
same  street,  nearly  opposite  each  other,  should  be  filled  to 
hear  the  gospel,  while  some  500  more  people  tried  in  vain 
to  enter. 

The  last  Sunday  in  August  surpassed  all  preceding  days 
in  the  extent  of  the  work  done.  About  sixty-five  meet- 
ings were  held,  in  thirty-five  different  places  throughout 
the  city  and  suburbs,  including  fifteen  churches,  two  thea- 
ters, five  halls,  five  tents,  and  in  the  open  air,  with  the 
gospel  wagon,  and  elsewhere.  About  thirty-six  ministers, 
evangelists,  and  song  leaders,  with  from  two  to  three  hun- 
dred other  Christian  workers  from  the  Bible  Institute  and 
elsewhere,  officiated.  An  aggregate  of  over  51,000  people 
heard  the  gospel  in  these  various  meetings,  many  of  whom 
were  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  acceptance 
of  Christ  as  their  Saviour.  In  the  face  of  the  fears  that 
had  been  entertained  of  a  decrease  of  interest  and  conse- 


92  WOULD  >S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

quent  falling  off  in  attendance  during  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, this  triumphant  record  was  especially  cheering. 

This  Sunday  also  marked  the  close  of  a  ten  days'  ses- 
sion of  the  International  Conference  of  the  Christian  and 
Missionary  Alliance,  which,  under  the  presidency  of  Rev. 
A.  B.  Simpson,  of  New  York,  had  been  held  in  the  Chicago 
Avenue  Church.  The  conference  was  more  or  less  inter- 
linked with  the  plan  and  movement  of  the  evangelistic 
campaign.  Its  morning  sessions  were  devoted  exclusively 
to  Bible  study.  From  nine  to  twelve  each  day  large  audi- 
ences occupied  the  church  to  listen  to  such  eminent  Bible 
teachers  as  Dr.  Scofield  of  Texas,  Dr.  Chapell  of  Boston, 
Dr.  Oerter  of  New  York,  and  Dr.  Stearns  of  Philadelphia. 
The  afternoons  and  evenings  were  occupied  by  addresses 
on  such  themes  as  Practical  Holiness,  Divine  Healing,  and 
the  Evangelization  of  the  World.  Devotional  meetings 
occupied  the  intervals,  morning,  noon,  and  night,  between 
the  main  services,  and  contributed  largely  to  keeping  the 
interest  of  the  meetings  at  white  heat.  The  Alliance  has 
between  200  and  300  missionaries  in  the  foreign  field,  and 
hopes  to  send  many  more  abroad  during  the  coming  years, 
having  important  stations  in  China,  India,  and  Africa. 
Many  returned  missionaries  wrere  in  attendance  at  the 
convention,  and  gave  frequent  addresses  on  the  different 
phases  of  their  work. 

The  two  daily  Bible  lectures  in  the  Bible  Institute  had 
been  continued  up  to  this  time  with  increasing  interest, 
and  some  of  the  most  eminent  Bible  teachers  and  preach- 
ers of  Europe  and  America  were  there  heard  with  great 
delight  and  profit  by  thousands  of  Bible  students  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  After  the  close  of  the  Alliance  Con- 
ference, in  order  to  secure  more  room  and  to  make  the 
service  more  popular  in  character,  the  lectures  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  large  auditorium  of  the  Chicago  Avenue 


GOOD   CHEER— PROGRESS— OBJECT-LESSON          93 

Church.  There  for  one  week  the  lectures  were  delivered 
to  larger  congregations,  the  services  being  diversified  in 
various  ways  by  Mr.  Moody.  Himself  being  one  of  the 
lecturers,  he  sometimes  displaced  himself  by  calling  upon 
other  ministers  to  open  the  word  in  his  stead.  On  three 
successive  days  he  invited  several  of  the  recently  arrived 
speakers  to  introduce  themselves  in  short  addresses,  and 
also  to  give  specimens  of  Scotch  and  English  expository 
preaching,  which  was  greatly  enjoyed. 

The  day  preceding  the  close  of  the  Alliance  Conference, 
the  last  hour  of  the  forenoon  was  set  apart  on  the  program 
for  a  lecture  on  the  Bible  by  Mr.  Moody.  This  afforded 
him  a  double  opportunity  to  hold  up  and  magnify  the 
Word  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  give  a  most  inspiring 
and  impressive  object-lesson  on  the  elements  of  successful 
evangelism.  It  was  the  only  one  of  the  scores  of  services 
on  the  program  of  the  conference  which  was  thoroughly 
advertised  and  for  which  special  efforts  were  made  by 
circulation  of  tickets,  after  the  approved  fashion  of  the 
Moody  evangelistic  meetings.  The  result  was  a  revela- 
tion to  many,  when  they  found  that  even  at  such  an  hour 
as  eleven  o'clock  on  Saturday,  the  big  church  rapidly  filled 
up  till  auditorium  and  galleries  were  occupied. 

There  was  another  revelation  when  the  meeting  opened 
in  Mr.  Moody's  characteristic  way,  with  his  prompt,  swift, 
electrifying  movement,  sweeping  through  a  song  service 
of  about  twenty-five  minutes  that  roused,  thrilled,  and 
kindled  all  hearts,  in  preparation  for  the  discourse  that 
was  to  follow.  It  was  glorious,  and  full  of  the  spirit  of 
devotion.  In  this  devotional  service  four  songs  were 
sung  by  the  congregation,  led  by  a  well-trained,  power- 
ful chorus  choir,  with  instrumental  accompaniment ;  two 
beautiful  solos,  by  ladies,  in  the  chorus  of  one  of  them 
the  great  congregation  and  choir  joining  with  thrilling 


94  WOULD  '8  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

power ;  three  impressive  and  affecting  songs  by  quartets, 
two  male,  one  female ;  and  one  magnificent  hymn  by  a 
strong  male  choir.  Three  prayers  were  intermingled  with 
the  music.  The  service  was  so  arranged  and  ordered  that 
it  had  the  effect  of  an  upward  movement,  like  the  swell 
of  a  wave,  carrying  the  worshipers  away  from  their  dis- 
tracting thoughts  into  the  waiting-place  of  devotion,  with 
minds  and  hearts  opened  to  the  word  that  was  to  follow. 

When  the  entire  service  of  seventy-five  minutes  came 
to  its  close,  embracing  ten  songs,  five  prayers,  a  lecture 
on  the  Bible  by  Mr.  Moody,  full  of  fire  and  energy,  and 
concluding  remarks  by  Dr.  A.  B.  Simpson,  that  fell  like 
heavenly  dew  upon 'the  hearts  of  the  audience,  it  seemed 
as  if  but  half  the  time  had  passed. 

After  the  opening  song  service  Mr.  Moody  remarked 
that  some  of  his  hearers  had  doubtless  been  wondering 
why  they  had  so  much  singing  before  the  preaching  began. 
"We  had  so  much  singing  here  this  morning,"  said  he, 
"  to  show  you  how  a  live,  spirited,  attractive  gospel  ser- 
vice can  be  made.  There  is  no  excuse  for  dull,  spiritless, 
unattractive  gospel  meetings.  It  is  a  mistake  to  regard 
the  sermon  as  the  only  important  thing  in  a  meeting,  or 
even  as  the  main  thing.  There  is  often  more  gospel  in 
such  songs  as  we  sing  than  in  the  sermon.  The  song 
may  carry  the  gospel  into  many  hearts  that  the  sermon 
does  not  reach.  And  it  prepares  the  people  for  the  ser- 
mon. Wake  up  !  Wake  up  the  people  !  Get  them  out 
to  your  meetings.  Advertise  your  meetings.  Let  the  peo- 
ple know  about  it.  Compel  them  to  come.  Press  things. 
Why  preach  to  a  few  when  you  might  have  hundreds  ? 
Why  have  poor,  dull,  sleepy  meetings  when  you  might 
have  them  full  of  life,  enthusiasm,  and  power?  If  we 
believe  the  gospel  is  the  best  news  that  ever  came  to  this 
world,  then  let  us  publish  it  to  everybody  we  can  reach." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A    NEW    DEPARTURE. 

AFTER  careful  consideration  of  the  hazard  and  the  ex- 
pense involved,  an  important  new  departure  was  taken, 
by  securing  the  use  of  the  Central  Music  Hall  for  daily 
meetings,  during  the  last  two  mouths  of  the  campaign. 
It  was  arranged  to  hold  one  or  two  services  each  Sunday 
and  a  two  hours'  service  each  week-day,  from  11  A.M.  to 
1  P.M.,  with  Mr.  Moody  and  Mr.  McNeil!  as  the  princi- 
pal speakers.  The  building  was  admirably  located  and 
adapted  for  the  purpose,  its  central  place  in  the  business 
portion  making  it  the  best  strategic  point  in  the  city  for 
a  continuous  gospel  work.  There  were  some  to  whom  it 
seemed  an  ill-considered  movement,  and  at  least  a  very 
questionable  and  hazardous  experiment  to  push  into  the 
very  business  heart  of  the  city,  to  solicit  a  hearing  for  the 
gospel  of  Christ  in  the  midday  hours  of  the  busy  days. 
But  faith  takes  not  counsel  of  human  fears  or  improba- 
bilities. A  glad  surprise  awaited  the  doubting  ones,  and 
the  wisdom  of  the  choice  was  demonstrated  in  the  first 
service. 

The  opening  meeting  in  the  new  place  was  assigned  to 
Rev.  John  McNeill  on  the  morning  of  the  first  Sunday  in 
September.  After  a  delightful  service  of  song  and  prayer 
the  preacher  poured  out  his  heart  in  a  sermon  of  wonder- 
ful beauty  and  grace,  that  held  the  vast  audience  in  glad- 
some captivity  of  mind  and  heart  to  the  close.  There  was 

95 


96  WOULD' S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

no  more  question  as  to  the  feasibility  of  Sunday  meetings 
in  the  Music  Hall.  The  preacher  had  won  his  audience 
and  assured  himself  a  welcome  and  a  hearing  from  that 
day  forth. 

At  4  P.M.  of  the  same  day  a  meeting  of  special  interest 
was  to  take  place.  Mr.  Moody  had  sent  repeated  and 
urgent  invitations  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Adolf  Stoecker,  ex-court 
preacher  of  Germany,  to  join  his  forces  in  a  special  effort 
in  behalf  of  the  German  people  of  Chicago,  and  now  the 
famous  German  was  expected  to  make  his  first  appearance 
on  the  American  platform.  The  announcement  caused 
considerable  excitement,  as  well  as  genuine  interest,  and 
the  Hall  was  filled  to  overflowing  with  an  immense  audi- 
ence of  the  flower  of  Chicago's  German  population,  includ- 
ing a  large  number  of  ministers  and  representative  Chris- 
tian workers. 

But  a  disappointment  was  in  store  for  the  congregation, 
and  not  less  so  for  Mr.  Moody,  who  had  charge  of  the 
meeting,  for  the  expected  speaker  had  been  delayed  on 
the  way  hither,  and  could  not  reach  the  city  in  time  for 
the  appointment.  Mr.  Moody  explained  the  embarrassing 
situation  as  best  he  could,  declining  to  respond  to  the  call 
of  the  audience  to  preach  himself,  and  called  upon  Rev. 
Niclaus  Boldt,  a  young  German  evangelist  of  St.  Paul,  who 
preached  a  short,  timely  sermon. 

As  it  was  known  that  some  of  the  daily  papers  had  in- 
dulged in  ungracious  criticism  of  Mr.  Moody  for  having 
invited  Dr.  Stoecker  to  Chicago,  utterly  misrepresenting 
the  object  of  the  German  preacher's  mission,  and  as  there 
were  some  misgivings  in  the  minds  of  many  who  were 
concerned  for  the  success  of  the  evangelistic  work,  Mr. 
Moody  took  occasion  to  state  his  reasons  for  his  action. 
"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  he,  "  why  I  tried  to  get  Dr.  Stoecker 
here.  Because  he  is  a  man  of  God  who  is  giving  his  life 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE  97 

for  the  welfare  of  the  people,  and  has  been  greatly  used 
of  God.  He  is  trying  to  do  in  Germany  just  what  I  am 
trying  to  do  here — to  reach  the  non-church-going  masses 
with  the  gospel  of  Christ  for  their  salvation.  He  has 
institutions  in  Berlin  somewhat  like  our  Bible  Institute 
here,  and  is  doing  the  same  work.  I  have  great  respect 
for  a  man  who  comes  out  of  the  royal  court  to  do  the 
work  that  he  does.  He  is  a  man  after  my  own  heart.  I 
want  him  here  to  speak  the  word  of  life  to  his  own  fellow- 
countrymen  in  this  great  city." 

These  timely  words,  nobly  spoken,  had  their  effect,  show- 
ing at  once  the  unselfish,  generous  motive  that  prompted 
Mr.  Moody's  call  of  Dr.  Stoecker,  and  his  unshaken  confi- 
dence in  and  high  esteem  for  the  man. 

The  third  meeting  of  the  day  was  held  in  the  Hall  in 
the  evening.  At  an  early  hour  the  place  was  crowded, 
hundreds  were  turned  away,  and  still  they  continued  to 
come  and  go  until  near  the  close  of  the  service.  Mr. 
Moody  preached  the  sermon,  his  theme  being  his  favorite 
Daniel,  which  always  kindles  the  speaker's  soul  and  sets 
the  souls  of  the  hearers  aflame. 

On  Monday  many  a  Christian  worker  went  to  the  Music 
Hall  with  serious  misgivings,  to  see  the  outcome  of  the 
first  experiment  of  a  two  hours'  midday  meeting.  The 
day  seemed  an  especially  unfavorable  one  for  the  begin- 
ning in  that  place.  It  was  Labor  Day,  the  streets  were 
thronged  with  great  processions,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
a  tumult  of  sound,  musical  and  otherwise ;  yet  the  large 
hall  was  filled,  and  the  two  hours  of  the  meeting  were 
made  glorious  with  song  and  sermon  and  prayer.  The 
whole  service  seemed  like  a  mighty  burst  of  inspiration. 
The  power  of  God  came  down  upon  the  people.  An  un- 
seen hand  seemed  to  guide  the  meeting  from  first  to  last. 
Song  after  song  rolled  forth  with  the  musical  waves  of 


98  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

the  big  organ,  and  prayer  after  prayer  rose  up  to  God 
like  sweet  incense  of  hearts  aglow  with  love  divine.  Mr. 
Moody  prayed  especially  that  the  last  two  months  of  the 
meetings  might  be  the  most  blessed  and  fruitful  of  all, 
and  memorable  to  all  eternity  in  the  experience  of  many. 
He  cried  to  God  with  tender  pleading  for  Heaven's  great- 
est blessing  on  the  preachers*  who  had  lately  arrived,  and 
on  those  who  had  already  so  faithfully  labored  and  borne 
the  heat  and  burden  of  the  summer's  work. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  service,  Mr.  Moody  made 
some  statements  with  reference  to  the  new  departure,  say- 
ing, among  other  things :  "  We  have  been  working  for 
four  months  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  and  now  we  have 
secured  this  Central  Music  Hall  for  two  months,  to  reach 
the  business  center  with  the  gospel  in  the  middle  of  the 
day.  We  have  got  the  help  of  a  number  of  eminent  min- 
isters from  home  and  abroad.  We  want  a  little  Scotch 
fire  here,  a  little  English  fire,  and  a  little  German  fire. 
We  have  distinguished  speakers  to  speak  to  us  every  day. 
These  meetings  will  accommodate  the  many  World's  Fan* 
visitors,  and  the  business  men  in  this  central  part  of  the 
city  who  are  anxious  to  hear  these  men  of  God.  Many 
who  come  here  to  listen  to  the  word  of  life  will  be  quick- 
ened and  renewed,  as  they  go  away  from  here  into  all 
parts  of  the  land  and  the  world,  and  they  will  carry  this 
fire  to  their  own  towns,  churches,  and  homes,  and  set  them 
on  fire  for  God.  That  is  what  we  want,  that  is  what  we 
are  praying  and  laboring  for." 

The  London  evangelist,  Henry  Varley,  being  called  up- 
on, arose  to  speak,  but  he  had  hardly  begun  to  open  his 
subject  when  the  delayed  German  guest,  Dr.  Stoecker, 
entered  the  Hall.  Mr.  Moody  arose,  exclaiming,  "  Let  us 
receive  the  court  preacher  of  Germany,"  and  the  people 
stood  up  to  welcome  him  with  hand-clapping  and  happy 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE  99 

smiles.  Then  Mr.  Varley  proceeded  with  his  discourse, 
setting  forth  the  glorious  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  "God's 
center  of  gravity,"  pleading  with  commanding  power  for 
the  recognition  and  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  as  the 
center  of  the  individual  life,  of  the  family,  of  the  home, 
of  the  city,  of  the  nation,  of  the  world.  The  sermon  was 
a  triumph  of  sacred  oratory,  bearing  the  vast  audience 
along  as  on  the  crest  of  a  mighty  wave. 

The  sermon  ended,  the  congregation  poured  out  their 
hearts  in  the  exulting  words  and  strains  of  the  majestic 
old  hymn, 

How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  his  excellent  Word. 

Then  short  addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  John  Robertson, 
of  Glasgow,  and  Dr.  H.  M.  Wharton,  of  Baltimore,  Md., 
holding  forth  Jesus  as  the  only  Saviour  and  hope  of  men, 
and  commending  the  old  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  in  all 
simplicity  and  truth. 

After  more  song  and  prayer,  with  special  supplication 
in  behalf  of  Dr.  Stoecker,  Mr.  Moody  introduced  his  hon- 
ored guest,  who  made  a  very  judicious  and  pertinent  in- 
troductory address,  which  was  interpreted  for  English  ears 
by  Rev.  Niclaus  Boldt.  He  expressed  his  appreciation  of 
the  kind  reception  given  him.  He  disclaimed  the  mo- 
tives and  purposes  which  hostile  papers  had  attributed  to 
him  in  coming  to  America.  "  I  came  not  to  attack  the 
Jews,"  he  said,  with  a  fine  thrill  of  indignant  feeling.  "  I 
came  to  preach  the  Word  of  God  to  my  German  brethren. 
I  came  not  to  see  America  or  the  World's  Fair,  but  to 
take  part  with  dear  Mr.  Moody  in  his  work  of  evangeliza- 
tion in  your  great  city.  I  had  a  desire  to  come  before, 
but  as  court  preacher  I  was  under  orders,  and  could  not 
come.  Now  I  am  no  more  court  preacher  of  the  German 


100  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Empire.  I  am  a  preacher  of  the  people.  I  am  no  longer 
under  orders,  but  free  to  come  and  go.  It  is  in  my  heart 
to  testify  of  my  glorious  God  to  the  thousands  of  my 
countrymen  who  are  here,  and  who  will  come  from  all 
points  of  the  compass  to  visit  the  World's  Fair.  I  would 
bring  them  a  message  of  tender  remembrance  and  love 
from  their  brethren  in  the  old  fatherland.  I  would 
strengthen  their  love  and  loyalty  to  the  new  fatherland 
they  have  found.  And  I  would  constrain  them  by  the 
love  of  Christ  to  seek  a  home  in  the  everlasting  father- 
land above,  where  our  loved  departed  ones  abide. 

"  Our  generation  has  come  upon  one  of  the  great  crises 
of  world-history.  This  is  felt  everywhere,  in  the  intellec- 
tual, the  spiritual,  and  the  physical  realms.  This  is  pre- 
eminently the  time  of  separation,  of  judgment,  of  decision. 
The  wheat  and  the  tares  must  be  revealed.  The  beginning 
of  the  end  is  at  hand,  when  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the 
world  will  meet  in  the  awful  collision  of  the  final  battle. 
In  the  great  conflict  of  the  present  crisis  Germany  seems 
to  feel  the  shock  first.  There  the  forces  are  marshaling 
and  massing  for  the  onset.  As  the  clouds  are  gathering 
fast  and  ominously  over  our  dear  old  fatherland,  we  look 
up  to  God  for  help,  and  we  pray  that  he  will  not  forsake 
his  people  in  the  land  of  the  Reformation.  Brethren,  I 
implore  you  all  who  bear  the  name  of  our  blessed  Master, 
do  not  suffer  your  eyes  to  be  blinded  and  your  hearts 
deceived  by  the  worldly  riches  and  glory  of  material  pro- 
gress and  prosperity.  The  things  which  are  seen  are 
temporal ;  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal  and 
abiding.  In  the  great  conflict  let  us  take  sides  with  our 
God,  and  stand  for  truth  and  right,  for  the  welfare  of 
man  and  the  honor  of  Christ." 

At  the  conclusion  of  Dr.  Stoecker's  address  Mr.  Moody 
arose  with  a  glowing  face,  and  exclaimed :  "  I  thank  God 


A  NEW  DEPASTURE  101 

for  this  day.  I  thank  God  for  the  coming  of  this  dear 
man  of  God.  We  don't  regard  the  papers  that  speak 
against  him.  I  am  exceedingly  gratified  to  note  that 
nearly  every  German  church  here  has  been  thrown  open 
to  him.  I  don't  know  of  any  man  in  Christendom  that  I 
would  rather  have  stand  in  the  pulpit  of  our  church  than 
this  dear  brother."  Then,  turning  to  Dr.  Stoecker,  Mr. 
Moody  continued :  "  We  give  you  a  warm  welcome  !  God 
bless  you !  We  don't  believe  the  newspapers.  We  believe 
the  Bible.  We  have  confidence  in  you.  We  love  you !  " 
A  brief  address  by  Mr.  McNeill,  witty  and  wise,  closed 
this  remarkable  initiatory  meeting  of  the  midday  series. 
There  remained  no  doubt  of  the  wisdom  of  the  new  de- 
parture. It  was  a  fair  beginning,  with  promise  of  better 
things  yet  to  come,  whereof  all  were  glad  in  the  anticipa- 
tion of  faith.  It  was  a  striking  object-lesson  set  before 
the  eyes  of  the  hurrying  thousands  on  business  and  plea- 
sure bent — two  hour£  out  of  the  heart  of  each,  day  devoted 
to  the  consideration  of  things  unseen  and  eternal,  while 
the  foaming  waves  of  worldly  traffic  beat  upon  the  walls 
within  which  the  worshipers  waited  upon  the  Lord.  It 
was  a  daily  standing  protest  against  the  mammon  worship 
of  the  busy  mart,  and  an  appeal  to  the  unsatisfied  crav- 
ings of  the  soul  that  cannot  live  by  bread  alone. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

NOTES  OP  THE  FIFTH  MONTH. 

THE  occupancy  of  the  Central  Music  Hall  for  daily  meet- 
ings was  not  the  only  advance  step  taken  at  the  beginning 
of  the  fifth  month,  although  perhaps  the  most  important. 
The  fair  promise  of  the  opening  days  in  that  place  was 
more  than  fulfilled  during  the  first  week,  in  the  surpris- 
ingly large,  constant  attendance  of  World's  Fair  visitors, 
business  people,  and  others,  and  the  increasing  and  deep- 
ening interest  in  the  services.  Two  days  of  the  first  week 
were  especially  memorable  on  account  of  the  overwhelm- 
ing, power  of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  awfully  solemn 
sense  of  the  reality  and  presence  of  the  unseen  and  the 
eternal. 

The  principal  addresses  of  the  days  were  given  by  Mr. 
Moody  and  Mr.  McNeill,  supplemented  by  Drs.  J.  W.  Chap- 
man, H.  M.  Wharton,  and  John  Riddell,  Revs.  John  Rob- 
ertson and  A.  C.  Dixon,  and  Evangelist  Henry  Varley. 
The  service  of  song  was  given  a  prominent  place,  repre- 
sented by  such  singers  as  Sankey,  Stebbins,  Towner, 
Burke,  Jacobs,  Atkinson,  the  Princeton  and  the  Ladies' 
Institute  Quartets,  and  a  strong  chorus  choir. 

Among  the  principal  new  places  secured  as  centers  of 
operation  at  this  time  were  two  theaters,  in  addition  to 
the  three  already  in  use,  namely,  the  Columbia  and  the 
Windsor,  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  At  the  South  Park 
M.  E.  Church  about  twenty  different  churches  were  united 

102 


NOTES   OF  THE  FIFTH  MONTH  103 

for  a  grand,  combined  effort,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr. 
H.  M.  Wharton  and  the  singer,  George  C.  Stebbins.  The 
Third  Presbyterian  Church  united  with  a  half-dozen  other 
churches  for  a  forward  movement,  with  Dr.  J.  W.  Chap- 
man in  charge.  The  first  service  in  the  Columbia  Theater 
was  in  the  hands  of  Rev.  John  McNeill  and  his  singing 
companion,  Mr.  Burke.  In  the  Windsor  Theater  Major 
Whittle  and  F.  Schiverea  conducted  the  first  meeting. 
Ira  D.  Sankey,  who  had  just  returned  from  Northfield, 
sang  the  gospel  at  not  less  than  eight  different  meetings 
during  the  Sunday.  Rev.  A.  C.  Dixon,  fresh,  vigorous, 
and  strong,  preached  five  times  during  the  day,  in  the 
Model  Sunday-school  Building  and  the  Epworth  Taber- 
nacle, at  the  Fair  grounds,  where  the  congregations  con- 
sisted of  World's  Fair  visitors,  of  whom  hundreds  were 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  teachers,  and  students.  D.  B. 
Towner  conducted  the  service  of  song  in  all  these  meetings. 
The  work  in  the  five  tabernacle  tents  reached  perhaps 
its  highest  point  of  interest  and  success  during  the  fifth 
month.  Many  thousands  of  people,  of  whom  large  num- 
bers were  strangers  to  church  services,  there  heard  the 
gospel  from  the  lips  of  some  of  the  best  people's  preach- 
ers in  the  laud.  Evangelist  Schiverea  tried  the  experi- 
ment of  holding  two  successive  all-day  meetings  in  his 
big  tent,  embracing  sixteen  different  services,  beginning 
at  9  A.M.  and  closing  at  about  10  P.M.  These  were  remark- 
able meetings,  blazing  with  enthusiasm,  full  of  power,  and 
marked  with  glorious  results.  Prayer,  praise,  and  song 
filled  the  intervals  of  the  addresses.  The  speakers  who 
preached  the  Word  during  the  two  days  were,  in  their 
order,  Dr.  John  Riddell,  Rev.  A.  C.  Dixon,  Evangelist  Schiv- 
erea, Rev.  John  McNeill,  Dr.  H.  M.  Wharton,  Merton  Smith, 
Henry  Varley,  J.  H.  Elliott,  Rev.  Dr.  Stoecker,  and  Rev. 
John  Robertson.  Two  children's  meetings  were  conducted 


104  WOELD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

by  Major  D.  W.  Whittle  and  Miss  B.  B.  Tyson.  The  sing- 
ing force  consisted  of  Messrs.  Stebbins,  Burke,  Jacobs, 
Atkinson,  and  the  Kimball,  Oberlin,  Institute,  and  Ladies' 
Quartets. 

At  the  Bible  Institute  the  daily  morning  lectures  were 
delivered  by  Dr.  John  Riddell,  and  multitudes  of  visitors 
continued  to  share  with  the  students  the  invaluable  op- 
portunity of  searching  the  Scriptures  under  such  masterly 
teaching.  Mr.  Moody,  in  addition  to  the  burden  of  the 
management  and  his  daily  sermons  at  Central  Music  Hall, 
also  preached  and  labored  in  various  churches  during  the 
week  evenings,  including  in  the  number  one  of  the  Bohe- 
mian churches.  Dr.  Stoecker  preached  a  series  of  week- 
night  sermons  in  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  to  which 
were  invited  the  German  people  of  the  city.  He  con- 
cluded the  week's  teaching  by  taking  his  hearers  into  the 
Book  of  Revelation  for  a  look  into  eternity  and  a  view  of 
the  millennial  age  of  the  world,  when  the  socialistic  dream 
of  an  earthly  paradise  shall  be  realized,  not  in  the  wisdom, 
power,  and  achievements  of  man,  but  in  the  grace  and 
power  of  God.  The  series  of  sermons  culminating  in  this 
were  admirable  for  their  simplicity,  clearness,  scriptural- 
ness,  adaptation,  and  heart-warming  application.  They 
made  a  most  wholesome  and  beneficent  impression  on  the 
scores  of  ministers  and  thousands  of  people  who  heard 
them. 

The  first  announced  appearance  of  Dr.  Stoecker,  on  Sun- 
day afternoon,  before  an  immense  multitude  of  represen- 
tative German  people  in  Central  Music  Hall,  was  an  im- 
portant and  critical  occasion  for  the  speaker  and  for  the 
cause  he  represented.  Deeply  realizing  this,  the  preacher 
came  up  to  it  with  the  calm  confidence  and  trained  powers 
for  which  he  is  so  remarkable,  and  in  the  name  of  his 
Lord  he  turned  the  opportunity  into  a  sublime  triumph. 


NOTES   OF  THE  FIFTH  MONTH  105 

It  was  a  scene  and  an  experience  seldom  repeated.  The 
orator  was  at  his  best — alert; keen,  aglow  with  intellectual 
and  spiritual  ardor,  enkindling  thought,  and  restrained 
emotion.  His  discourse  was  a  masterpiece  of  sacred  ora- 
tory, from  a  preacher  greater  than  his  sermon,  and  the 
effect  was  profound  and  overwhelming. 

The  meetings  of  this  month  were  characterized  by  a 
widening  scope,  increased  working  forces,  more  thorough 
organization,  and  more  manifest  results.  But  perhaps 
the  most  remarkable,  and  certainly  the  most  striking  and 
gratifying,  feature  of  the  whole  movement  was  the  almost 
incredible  extent  of  its  constituency  as  it  became  manifest 
week  by  week.  Tributary  streams  of  sympathy  and  aid 
came  flowing  into  that  great  reservoir  from  every  part  of 
our  land  and  other  lands  beyond  the  seas.  Living  nerves 
of  close  connection  between  that  center  of  prayer  and 
effort  and  millions  of  praying  people  constituted  a  prayer 
union  in  evangelistic  labors  the  like  of  which  has  never 
before  been  known.  Thousands  of  churches,  Christian  As- 
sociations, Endeavor  Societies,  Sunday-schools,  and  other 
Christian  organizations  were  constantly  being  drawn  into 
the  mighty  fellowship  of  the  movement.  The  results  of 
blessing  coming  from  such  a  world-wide  fellowship  of 
sympathy,  prayer,  and  effort  are  simply  incalculable. 

Gratifying  reports  from  near  and  from  far-away  places 
brought  cheering  testimony  to  Mr.  Moody  and  his  associ- 
ates, assuring  them  of  rich  blessings  received  from  the 
evangelistic  meetings.  Souls  newly  revived  and  fired  with 
godly  zeal  for  the  work  of  Christ's  kingdom  had  gone 
away  from  the  Chicago  meetings  to  their  homes  and 
churches  to  take  up  neglected  duties  and  to  stand  forth 
as  living  witnesses  for  the  Christ  whom  they  had  dishon- 
ored by  silence  and  neglect.  Thus  already  had  it  come 
to  pass,  as  Mr.  Moody  hoped  and  prayed,  that  souls  there 


106  WORLD'S  FAIR    CAMPAIGN 

converted  and  Christians  quickened,  "from  all  parts  of 
the  world,  were  carrying  the  fire  back  with  them  to  their 
homes." 

Mr.  Moody  had  repeatedly  heard  it  said  that  the  World's 
Fair  visitors  were  not  reached  by  his  meetings  to  any  great 
extent.  Accordingly  he  put  the  matter  to  a  decisive  test 
on  several  occasions,  as  did  also  some  of  his  workers,  with 
surprising  results.  It  was  found,  for  instance,  that  of  a 
congregation  of  about  3000  in  the  Haymarket  Theater, 
all  save  about  200  were  visitors !  A  similar  test  in  one 
of  the  largest  churches  showed  that  about  1900  out  of  a 
congregation  of  2000  were  "World's  Fair  visitors.  Further 
tests  by  Dr.  Munhall,  Dr.  Dixon,  and  others  revealed  the 
astounding  fact  that  nearly  every  State  of  the  Union  was 
represented  in  the  congregations,  as  well  as  lands  beyond 
the  sea. 

Sunday,  September  17th,  was  a  memorable  day  of  the 
campaign.  On  the  evening  of  that  day,  as  the  evangel- 
ists, one  by  one,  came  into  the  headquarters  office  at  the 
Bible  Institute,  and  with  shining  faces  reported  the  work 
of  the  day,  Mr.  Moody  broke  out  with  thanksgiving. 
"  Thank  God !  thank  God !  "  He  said  it  was  the  best  day 
of  all  the  four  and  a  half  months'  campaign,  and  the  best 
Sunday  he  had  experienced  in  Chicago.  "  It  was  a  day 
of  great  grace  and  blessing.  There  was  more  melting 
divine  power  in  eveiy  one  of  my  meetings  than  ever  be- 
fore. The  people  just  melted  down  under  the  power  of 
God."  Others  spoke  of  unusual  blessing  in  their  meet- 
ings, the  constraining  power  of  the  gospel,  the  deeply 
affected  congregations,  the  many  decisions  of  penitent 
hearts  for  Christ.  As  usual,  in  some  of  the  places  the 
overflow  of  people  was  great  enough  to  have  filled  other 
large  halls  with  hungry-hearted  hearers.  Not  less  than 
sixty-four  different  meetings  were  held  during  the  day, 


NOTES  OF  THE  FIFTH  MONTH  107 

with  a  carefully  estimated  aggregate  attendance  of  from 
62,000  to  64,000  hearers,  which  is  about  10,000  more  than 
any  previous  Sunday.  Among  the  places  occupied  during 
the  day  were  nine  churches,  five  tents,  five  theaters,  six 
halls,  various  mission-houses,  and  a  number  of  places  in 
the  open  air  where  the  gospel  wagon  gathered  the  drifting 
crowds  together.  "Well  might  the  company  of  evangelists 
at  the  close  of  such  a  day  of  blessing  fall  upon  their  knees 
together,  while  Mr.  Moody  poured  out  his  soul  with  them 
in  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  the  Lord  for  his  grace  and 
goodness. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AN  IMPRESSIVE  MEETING. 

THE  midday  meetings  in  the  Central  Music  Hall  con- 
tinued to  be  a  daily  joy  and  triumph.  No  more  powerful, 
impressive,  and  effective  meetings  were  held  during  the 
entire  campaign.  Every  day  the  speakers  seemed  to  have 
given  them  just  the  word  for  the  hour,  as  no  program  or 
prearrangement  could  possibly  have  brought  it  to  pass. 

For  three  days  the  meetings  were  transferred  to  the 
Columbia  Theater,  without  decreasing  the  attendance  or 
abating  the  interest.  Mr.  Moody,  in  conducting  these 
daily  meetings,  called  upon  various  speakers  for  short 
addresses,  in  addition  to  his  own  and  those  of  Rev.  John 
McNeill,  who  spoke  every  day.  Among  the  additional 
speakers  were  Mr.  Henry  Varley,  Rev.  John  Robertson, 
Drs.  Dixon,  Wharton,  Riddell,  and  Chapman,  and  Major 
Whittle.  The  short,  spirited,  pointed  addresses  thus  de- 
livered were  models  of  evangelistic  preaching.  During 
ten  consecutive  days  Mr.  Moody  spoke  on  the  subject  of 
prayer,  presenting  one  of  ten  elements  of  prayer  each  day, 
and  recapitulating  and  newly  enforcing  the  points  already 
presented. 

One  of  the  meetings  which  seemed  especially  marked 
by  its  spiritual  warmth  and  moving,  melting  power  was 
that  of  Saturday,  September  16th.  Mr.  Moody  was  the 
first  speaker.  His  heart  was  almost  too  full  for  utterance. 
The  burden  of  souls  was  heavy  upon  him.  The  despair- 

108 


AN  IMPRESSIVE  MEETING  109 

ing  cry  of  Chicago's  perishing  thousands  was  in  his  ears. 
He  spoke  with  a  passionate  yearning  for  the  salvation  of 
the  lost,  and  an  almost  uncontrollable  emotion  that  bowed 
all  hearts  into  tearful  sympathy  with  the  burning  utter- 
ances of  the  speaker.  He  began  by  reading  from  the  Book 
of  Daniel  the  words :  "  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as 
the  brightness  of  the  firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many 
to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever."  After 
picturing  with  a  few  graphic  touches  the  godly  old  states- 
man to  whom  the  angel  spoke  the  quoted  words,  and 
pointing  to  the  exceeding  rewards  of  service  in  soul-sav- 
ing, the  speaker  said : 

"I  have  taken  this  theme  to-day  to  encourage  us  to 
take  hold  of  the  great  work  that  lies  at  our  hands  in  this 
city  in  these  wonderful  days.  I  thank  God  that  I  am  liv- 
ing in  this  day  and  in  Chicago.  The  opportunity  of  a 
lifetime  is  before  us  to  do  a  work  for  God  that  shall  make 
all  heaven  to  sing  for  joy. 

"  Let  us  not  spend  time  splitting  hairs  in  theology  and 
wrangling  about  creeds.  Let  us  go  to  work  and  save  lost 
souls.  Our  gospel  is  the  only  hope  of  the  drunkard,  the 
gambler,  the  harlot,  the  outcast,  the  despairing,  the  lost 
on  the  streets  of  Chicago.  Oh,  let  us  go  and  save  them  ! 
Let  us  stretch  out  our  hands  and  keep  them  from  rushing 
into  the  pit !  All  over  this  city  are  souls  just  hungry  to 
hear  the  gospel  of  hope,  just  waiting  for  a  loving  Chris- 
tian heart  to  lay  hold  on  them.  Mr.  Varley  tells  us  that 
during  the  week  about  five  hundred  men  have  been  blessed 
in  the  Standard  Theater  meetings.  I  would  rather  save 
one  soul  from  death  than  have  a  monument  of  solid  gold 
reaching  from  my  grave  to  the  heavens !  I  tell  you  the 
monument  I  want  after  I  am  dead  and  gone  is  a  monu- 
ment with  two  legs  going  about  the  world — a  saved  sinner 
telling  of  the  salvation  of  Jesus  Christ. 


110  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

u  I  don't  know  that  I  have  ever  seen  a  time  in  Chicago 
for  over  thirty  years  when  men  seemed  to  be  as  ready  to 
be  talked  to  about  their  souls.  Talk  to  them !  Tell  them 
of  Jesus,  who  can  save  them  from  their  sins  and  wretch- 
edness! Tell  them  on  the  streets,  in  the  cars,  in  their 
homes,  in  the  meetings  !  Speak  a  word  of  hope  and  help 
and  life  to  those  poor,  hungry  hearts !  I  believe  more  can 
be  done  in  this  city  during  the  next  six  weeks  than  at  any 
time  before,  if  we  all  go  to  work  and  keep  at  it.  It  is  our 
harvest  time.  It  is  the  day  of  the  Lord.  It  is  the  ac- 
cepted time." 

Certainly  no  more  successful  soul-saving  work  was  ever 
done  in  Chicago  than  that  in  the  theaters,  halls,  and  tents. 
It  was  simply  astonishing  how  the  "  lapsed  masses "  and 
the  "  lost  masses "  could  be  laid  hold  of  in  those  places. 
Many  a  poor  castaway  was  there  brought  to  the  refuge 
and  peace  of  God. 

The  number  of  meetings  held  on  the  last  Sunday  of 
September  exceeded  the  highest  record  yet  made,  num- 
bering seventy-five.  Recent  additions  to  his  working 
force,  such  as  George  C.  Needham,  Major- General  Howard, 
Charles  Inglis,  Lord  Bennett,  and  Lord  Kinnaird,  enabled 
Mr.  Moody  to  extend  the  scope  of  the  work.  Although 
so  large  a  number  of  places  were  occupied  by  the  evangel- 
ists, the  demand  was  still  greater  than  the  supply,  and  a 
number  of  open  doors  waited  in  vain  to  receive  invited 
workers. 

During  the  last  ten  days  of  the  month  there  was  held, 
by  invitation  of  Mr.  Moody,  a  conference  of  missionaries, 
superintendents,  and  officers  of  the  American  Sunday- 
school  Union  laboring  in  the  Northwest.  Discussions  of 
every  phase  of  the  work  occupied  the  conference  during 
each  afternoon,  while  the  mornings  were  given  by  the  mis- 
sionaries to  attending  the  lectures  at  the  Bible  Institute, 


AN  IMPRESSIVE  MEETING  111 

and  the  evenings  to  the  evangelistic  services  held  under 
Mr.  Moody's  direction.  The  purpose  of  the  conference 
was  fourfold :  first,  to  secure  the  advantages  of  two  weeks' 
Bible  study  at  the  Institute ;  second,  to  learn  from  the 
methods  of  other  workers  how  to  reach  people  with  the 
gospel  invitation ;  third,  to  consider  every  phase  of  the 
work  of  the  American  Sunday-school  Union  as  the  mis- 
sionaries were  doing  it,  and  to  consider  new  plans  for  ad- 
vance movements,  and  then  to  become  acquainted  with 
one  another ;  fourth,  to  give  the  missionaries  a  rest  by 
changing  entirely  their  form  of  labor  from  the  country  to 
the  city,  and  from  the  private  study  to  the  public  lectures 
at  the  Institute.  The  coming  of  that  army  of  about  one 
hundred  zealous,  devoted  workers  proved  a  blessing  to 
them  and  to  the  evangelistic  movement,  with  which  they 
came  into  close  relations  of  sympathy  and  helpfulness 
during  their  ten  days'  stay  in  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  SPECIAL  SOLDIERS'  MEETING. 

General  Howard's  Story. 

ONE  of  the  interesting  and  impressive  special  services 
in  connection  with  the  evangelistic  movement  was  for  the 
veteran  survivors  of  our  Civil  War  and  their  families. 
Cards  of  invitation  were  issued  to  all  soldiers,  Union  and 
Confederate,  who  would  accept  them.  This  embraced 
Grand  Army  posts,  and  soldiers  visiting  the  "World's  Fair 
from  all  parts  of  the  land.  The  meeting  was  held  in  Cen- 
tral Music  Hall  on  Sunday  afternoon.  A  pressing  call 
had  been  sent  to  the  old,  one-armed  veteran  warrior,  Ma- 
jor-General  O.  O.  Howard,  to  come  and  address  this  meet- 
ing, and  aid  in  other  services  of  the  campaign.  It  was 
just  like  that  noble  Christian  soldier  to  respond,  as  he 
did,  with  generous  kindness  and  soldierly  promptitude,  to 
the  call  of  his  old  army  friend,  Mr.  Moody,  and  his  former 
staff-officer,  Major  D.  W.  Whittle. 

At  the  appointed  hour  a  large  congregation  of  veterans, 
with  mothers,  fathers,  wives,  children,  widows,  orphans, 
and  friends  of  soldiers  assembled  in  the  great  hall.  On 
the  platform  with  General  Howard  sat  Major  Whittle,  the 
eminent  evangelist,  who  had  been  on  the  general's  staff 
during  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  march  through 
Georgia,  also  Major  Cole,  another  evangelist,  Colonel  Sex- 
ton, and  others,  including  a  representative  of  the  British 

112 


A   SPECIAL   SOLDIERS'   MEETING  113 

Army,  Lord  Bennett,  of  London.  Major  Whittle  presided 
with  characteristic  tact  and  grace. 

When  the  gray-haired  major-general  appeared  on  the 
platform,  with  the  significant  empty  sleeve  dangling  at 
his  side,  the  whole  audience  rose  and  greeted  him  with  a 
storm  of  hand-clapping.  Professor  George  C.  Stebbins 
conducted  the  song  service,  and  was  assisted  by  Lord 
Bennett,  the  Princeton  Quartet,  and  a  chorus  choir.  In 
addition  to  solos  and  quartet  songs,  the  hymn  "America  " 
was  sung  by  the  congregation  with  deep  feeling  and  thrill- 
ing effect.  The  dear  old  hymn,  ringing  out  from  the  lips 
of  men  and  women  who  had  given  all  they  held  most  dear 
for  their  country,  took  on  new  meaning  as  they  sang  it. 
At  General  Howard's  request,  the  congregation  sang  also 
that  stirring  song,  "Hold  the  fort,"  before  he  began  to 
speak. 

As  the  general  rose  to  speak,  visibly  affected,  looking 
every  inch  the  true  soldier  of  his  country  and  of  his  Lord, 
we  remembered  that  he  stood  before  us  as  the  representa- 
tive of  a  great  army  of  heroes  rapidly  passing  away,  and 
soon  all  to  be  gone.  The  thought  seemed  to  touch  every 
.heart,  and  there  were  tears  in  many  eyes  and  sobs  in 
many  throats  before  a  word  was  spoken.  We  knew  the 
old  hero's  history.  He  is  the  only  surviving  officer  of  the 
five  illustrious  generals  who  commanded  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee — Grant,  Sherman,  McPherson,  Howard,  and 
Logan.  He  was  appointed  to  command  after  the  death 
of  McPherson  at  Atlanta.  He  participated  probably  in 
more  of  the  prominent  battles  of  the  war  than  any  officer 
now  living.  He  fought  with  McClellan  in  the  Peninsular 
campaign,  losing  his  arm  at  Fair  Oaks.  He  was  on  the 
bloody  fields  of  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Antie- 
tam,  Gettysburg,  and  Chattanooga ;  went  through  the  At- 
lanta campaign  with  its  numerous  battles ;  led  the  Army 


114  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

of  the  Tennessee  through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas ;  and 
was  an  active  participant  in  the  last  battle  under  Sher- 
man in  Fayetteville,  N.  C.  He  was  honored  with  the 
thanks  of  the  country  through  resolutions  passed  by  Con- 
gress for  his  services  on  the  field  of  Gettysburg. 

The  pronounced  Christian  character  of  General  Howard 
was  well  known  during  the  war,  and  has  been  so  stead- 
fastly maintained  that  he  holds  the  confidence  and  love 
of  the  Christian  people  of  the  country,  both  North  and 
South.  General  Sherman  regarded  him  as  the  Stonewall 
Jackson  of  the  Northern  army,  and  gave  him  his  confi- 
dence and  affection  to  a  very  marked  degree.  Mr.  Moody 
became  acquainted  with  General  Howard  while  in  the 
Christian  commission  work  connected  with  the  soldiers, 
and  then*  friendship  and  fellowship  in  Christian  work  has 
continued  unbroken  from  the  days  of  the  war  until  now. 
They  were  companions  in  the  memorable  experiences  on 
the  steamship  Spree  last  year,  and  were  drawn  yet  closer 
together  by  the  common  danger  shared  and  the  mutual 
help  afforded  in  the  imminent  peril  through  which  they 
passed. 

Major-General  Howard  commenced  his  address  by  say- 
ing that  he  had  intended  to  speak  of  the  loving-kindness 
of  the  Lord,  but  at  the  suggestion  of  his  friend,  Major 
Whittle,  he  would  relate  something  about  his  experience 
in  entering  on  the  Christian  life.  "  Perhaps,"  said  he,  in 
his  modest  way,  "my  simple  story  may  help  and  cheer 
some  one  in  the  Christian  way.  My  thoughts  go  back  to 
the  days  of  my  youth.  Oh,  how  much  I  have  to  be  thank- 
ful for !  We  had  bright,  happy  Sundays  at  my  home, 
pure,  good,  uplifting  days.  When  I  left  home  to  go  to 
school  my  good  mother  always  followed  me  with  letters 
of  motherly  love  and  counsel  and  quotations  from  the 
Scriptures.  Her  favorite  word  for  me  was,  'Seek  first 


A   SPECIAL  SOLDI  EMS'   MEETING  115 

the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you.'  I  knew  not  what  it 
meant.  But  the  words  followed  me  and  troubled  me. 

"  You  know  there  is  a  time  in  a  man's  life  when  he  is 
affected  with  the  measles  of  unbelief.  It  was  so  with  me 
also.  I  spoke,  as  did  others,  slightingly  of  the  Bible  and 
of  religion.  One  day  a  dear  friend  said  to  me,  with  mild 
and  loving  rebuke,  '  Otis,  if  I  were  you,  I  wouldn't  speak 
against  the  Bible,  but  just  be  a  Christian.'  These  words, 
spoken  in  season,  have  been  in  my  heart  for  forty-seven 
years.  They  brought  me  under  conviction  of  sin. 

"  I  had  naturally  a  very  ugly  temper,  quick  and  fierce. 
Major  Whittle  will  hardly  understand  that.  He  has  prob- 
ably not  found  it  out.  I  have  tried  to  conquer  it,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  and  get  self-control.  Mother  continued  to 
write  to  me,  and  I  always  wanted  to  please  my  mother. 
And  I  tried  hard.  It  is  only  a  short  time  ago  that  she 
passed  away  to  her  rest,  not  far  from  here.  I  am  glad 
she  lived  to  see  her  son  a  follower  of  Christ,  according  to 
her  desire." 

The  general  went  on  to  tell  of  his  life  at  West  Point, 
and  how  he  braved  the  ridicule  of  the  cadets  by  going  to 
religious  services  and  doing  work  in  the  Sunday-school. 
He  said  it  cost  him  more  to  take  his  stand  and  run  the 
gauntlet  of  their  scoffs  and  sneers  than  it  did  later  to  face 
the  cannon  and  musketry  of  the  battle-field.  "  But,"  said 
he,  "  I  gripped  my  Bible,  shut  my  teeth,  and  went,  for 
mother's  sake." 

After  the  general  had  a  family  he  read  every  morning 
a  portion  of  Scripture  before  them,  but  did  not  pray  pub- 
licly, until  a  time  came  when  duty  called  him  away  from 
home.  That  day  he  read  the  Scriptures,  and  then  fell  on 
his  knees  and  committed  his  loved  ones  to  the  keeping 
of  God.  But  all  this  time  he  did  not  profess  or  claim  to 


116  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

be  a  Christian.  But  one  day  he  sat  in  a'little  church,  on 
a  back  seat,  in  uniform.  A  little  colored  boy  sat  beside 
him,  who  fell  asleep,  and  rested  his  head  on  the  general's 
breast.  He  was  proud  and  sensitive,  and  did  not  like  the 
situation,  but  he  always  had  a  tender  heart  for  children. 
The  preacher  soon  came  up  to  him,  as  to  others  in  the 
congregation,  with  a  personal  appeal.  "  Which  side  would 
you  rather  be  on — the  Lord's  side,  or  the  side  of  those 
who  mock  Christ?"  the  preacher  said.  Promptly  and 
resolutely  the  general's  heart  answered,  "The  Lord's 
side,"  and  he  rose,  buttoned  up  his  military  coat,  and 
marched  down  the  aisle  to  the  altar,  where  he  knelt  and 
committed  himself  to  Christ.  No  change  was  experienced 
and  no  light  received  at  the  time  of  his  committal,  and  he 
was  in  much  perplexity  as  to  how  he  might  know  of  his 
acceptance  by  God  and  the  pardon  of  his  sins.  This  came 
to  him  the  same  night,  while  alone  in  his  quarters. 

A  friend  had  sent  him  a  copy  of  "  The  Life  of  Hedley 
Vicars."  He  read  it  with  deep  interest.  He  could  not 
understand  what  was  meant  by  the  saying,  so  often  re- 
peated, "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin."  He  knelt  down  and  asked  God  to  show  him 
what  it  meant,  and  God  did  it.  "  My  soul  was  so  happy," 
continued  the  general,  "when  God  revealed  to  me  the 
way  of  salvation  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  I  re- 
joiced with  an  unspeakable  joy.  That  hour  the  gift  of 
eternal  life  was  consciously  mine.  Oh,  the  preciousness 
of  that  gift !  There's  no  counting  the  value  of  it,  and 
there's  no  discounting  it ! 

"  After  this  experience  I  wanted  to  be  a  chaplain,  to 
seek  the  souls  of  men.  But  the  war  came.  I  responded 
to  the  call  of  my  country,  and  went  as  conscientiously  to 
the  field  of  battle  as  to  a  prayer-meeting.  On  the  eve  of 


A   SPECIAL   SOLDIERS1  MEETING  117 

my  first  battle  I  became  pale  and  weak  at  the  sound  of 
cannon  and  musketry  and  the  roar  of  conflict.  God  was 
there,  and  I  cried  to  liiin  to  give  me  strength  to  do  my 
duty,  and,  quick  as  a  flash,  my  courage  and  strength  came, 
and  I  never  faltered  again  in  the  face  of  any  peril.  I 
went  forward  with  the  confidence  that  I  was  doing  God's 
will,  and  he  never  forsook  me. 

"  When  my  dear  friend,  Captain  Griffith,  was  shot  down 
on  the  field  of  Gettysburg,  we  bore  him  to  a  house  in  the 
town  to  die.  I  went  to  see  him  once  more,  and  read  at 
his  bedside  the  sweet  words  of  Jesus,  '  Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled.  ...  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  man- 
sions :  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself ; 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also.'  At  these  words 
Griffith  lifted  his  great,  black  eyes,  looking  into  mine,  and 
said :  '  General  Howard,  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  I  am 
ready  to  go.'  I  bent  over  him  and  tenderly  kissed  his 
white  forehead,  bade  him  a  last,  loving  good-by,  and  left 
him  to  die.  I  shall  see  my  comrade  again  ! "  With  a  touch- 
ing appeal  to  his  hearers  to  be  time  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  general  closed  his  affecting  address. 

At  the  close  of  the  address  Major  Whittle  bore  a  fellow- 
soldier's  loving  testimony  to  his  comrade  and  to  their 
common  Lord.  "I  was  privileged,"  said  he,  "to  be  with 
General  Howard  on  his  staff  six  months.  I  knew  him 
well.  All  who  know  him  as  I  do  will  feel  that  he  has 
been  very  modest  in  speaking  of  himself  to-day.  I  never 
saw  General  Howard  when  he  showed  any  weakness  in 
character.  But  of  all  the  scenes  where  I  was  privileged 
to  be  with  him,  those  errands  of  mercy  among  the  sick 
and  the  dying,  in  hospitals  and  camp,  most  deeply  im- 


118  WORLDS  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

pressed  me.  I  remember  one  affecting  case  where  a  dying 
Confederate  soldier  was  brought  to  Christ  by  the  general's 
kind  ministry. 

"  I  want  to  add  my  testimony  to  that  of  General  How- 
ard, that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  blessed  reality, 
the  greatest  reality  of  life.  I  thank  God  that  many  of 
our  comrades  can  also  unite  in  this  testimony.  I  com- 
mend unto  you,  comrades  and  friends,  the  verse  that 
brought  comfort  and  life  to  General  Howard,  "  The  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  I 
don't  know  why,  but  it  is  a  soldier's  verse.  I  could  tell 
you  of  one  and  another  who  found  peace  in  that  word. 
Oh,  my  hope  is  in  that  precious  truth  and  fact  of  the 
death  of  Jesus  Christ;  for  me." 

After  several  more  songs  and  prayer,  and  the  relation 
of  the  story  of  his  own  conversion  by  Lord  Bennett,  the 
meeting  was  closed  by  Major  Whittle,  and  the  soldiers 
pressed  forward  to  clasp  once  more  the  hand  of  their 
beloved  commander  and  friend. 

General  Howard  rendered  very  efficient  service  in  a 
number  of  meetings  in  the  Standard  Theater  and  other 
places,  pleading  effectively  with  unsaved  men  and  leading 
them  to  Christ  for  salvation.  He  greatly  enjoyed  his  visit 
and  labors  in  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN  VARIOUS  LANGUAGES. 

WHEN  Mr.  Moody  began  his  World's  Fair  gospel  work 
in  Chicago  he  had  it  in  his  heart  to  bring  the  gospel  mes- 
sage also  to  the  ears  of  other  various  nationalities  repre- 
sented there,  as  well  as  to  the  English-speaking  multi- 
tudes. Himself  could  not  do  this.  His  own  preaching, 
by  word  of  mouth,  is  confined  to  one  language  only — his 
strong,  simple,  lucid,  limpid,  terse,  graphic  English.  But 
his  heart  yearned  after  the  tens  of  thousands  of  Germans, 
French,  Poles,  Bohemians,  Swedes,  and  other  nationali- 
ties, and  he  rested  not  until  they  also  heard  the  gospel  at 
the  mouth  of  evangelists  in  their  own  language. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Pindor,  the  eminent  Polish  scholar  and  preach- 
er, of  Silesia,  was  secured  to  preach  to  the  Poles  and  the 
Germans.  He  came  in  May.  He  found  it  difficult  to  gain 
access  to  the  Poles,  who  are  mostly  Catholics,  but  among 
the  Germans  the  way  opened  more  readily. 

Mr.  Joseph  Rabinowitz,  the  Russian  Hebrew  apostle, 
came  and  preached  the  word  to  his  Jewish  brethren. 
He  had  meetings  in  the  Chicago  Hebrew  Mission,  the 
Ewing  Street  Congregational  Church,  and  in  other  places. 
The  presence  and  preaching  of  this  remarkable  Jewish 
Christian  awakened  much  interest. 

Rev.  A.  Skoogsbergh,  known  as  "the  Swedish  Spur- 
geon,"  preached  in  the  Swedish  language,  with  great  ac- 
ceptance and  success,  to  large  audiences,  week  after  week. 

119 


120  WORLD'S  FAIR    CAMPAIGN 

His  services  were  held  in  the  Swedish  Mission  Church, 
the  Bethania  Norwegian  Church,  the  Swedish  Tabernacle, 
the  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  and  other  places.  Thou- 
sands of  Swedes  listened  to  the  gospel  preached  with 
eloquence  and  power  by  their  countryman,  night  after 
night  and  week  after  week,  with  unabated  interest. 

Rev.  Pasteur  Theodore  Monod,  from  Paris,  an  able  and 
eloquent  French  preacher,  held  special  services  for  his 
countrymen  in  Chicago,  preaching  to  them  in  the  French 
language.  He  also  preached  sermons  and  delivered  Bible 
lectures  in  the  English  language  in  various  churches  and 
in  the  Bible  Institute. 

Among  the  60,000  Bohemians  of  the  city  a  great  deal  of 
evangelistic  work  was  done  by  various  zealous  workers, 
some  of  them  from  the  Bible  Institute.  One  of  these 
evangelists,  a  young  Bohemian  from  Kansas,  labored 
among  his  countrymen  with  great  zeal  and  patient  en- 
durance, in  the  face  of  insult  and  abuse,  and  even  bodily 
injury.  He  preached  in  the  open  air,  going  from  place 
to  place,  sometimes  giving  five-minute  talks  in  as  many 
as  fifteen  different  places  in  one  evening,  with  great 
crowds  following  him.  Sometimes  they  stoned  him,  beat 
him,  tore  his  clothes,  threatened  to  kill  him,  and  once  his 
enemies  had  him  arrested.  Then  the  saloon-keepers  hired 
ruffians  and  boys  to  drown  his  voice  by  all  sorts  of  noises. 
But  the  work  went  on  nevertheless,  and  the  testimony  of 
the  gospel  was  given  to  many. 

Dr.  StoecJcer  among  the  Germans. 

Among  the  German  people  a  very  fruitful  work  of 
evangelism  was  done.  It  was  begun  by  Rev.  Niclaus 
Boldt,  of  St.  Paul,  who  with  his  devoted  sister  labored 
several  .months  with  good  results.  Services  were  held  for 


IN  VARIOUS  LANGUAGES  121 

some  time  in  Christ  Church,  then  transferred  to  Holmes's 
Hall.  The  evangelist  was  assisted  by  Professor  Jacobs, 
who  led  the  service  of  song.  Later  came  Rev.  Dr.  Stoecker, 
former  court  preacher  of  Germany,  and  Count  Bernstorff, 
who  united  their  efforts  in  behalf  of  their  countrymen. 
The  coming  of  Dr.  Stoecker  especially  was  an  event  of 
much  interest  and  importance.  It  was  at  the  -urgent 
request  of  Mr.  Moody  that  the  busy  preacher,  statesman, 
and  reformer  broke  away  from  his  work  and  came  to  take 
part  in  the  Chicago  campaign.  He  recognized  in  the  voice 
of  the  American  evangelist  a  Macedonian  call  in  which  the 
will  of  God  was  expressed.  He  conferred  not  with  flesh 
and  blood.  It  was  another  striking  illustration  of  how 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  to  whom  belong  all  the  workers 
in  the  great  world  field,  has  given  to  his  servant  authority 
in  the  service  of  his  kingdom  to  "  say  to  one,  Come,  and 
he  cometh ;  and  to  another,  Go,  and  he  goeth." 

When  it  was  known  that  Dr.  Stoecker  was  coming  to 
Chicago  at  Mr.  Moody's  call  some  of  the  secular  press, 
East  and  West,  took  occasion  to  assail  not  only  him  and 
misrepresent  his  motives  in  coming  to  America,  but  also 
to  reflect  upon  Mr.  Moody  for  inviting  him,  and  they  pre- 
dicted that  his  cause  would  suffer  injury  in  consequence 
of  it.  Some  of  Mr.  Moody's  friends  also  were  alarmed  at 
the  prospect  of  a  conflict  when  the  redoubtable  German 
warrior,  agitator,  and  reformer  should  join  his  forces. 
But  Mr.  Moody  never  wavered  in  his  conviction,  nor 
yielded  his  faith  in  the  man  he  had  called.  He  knew  his 
man-.  He  stood  up  bravely  for  him  and  stood  loyally  by 
him  against  the  hostile  press  and  the  misgivings  of  friends. 
On  the  platform  of  the  Central  Music  Hall,  before  an 
assembly  of  3000  people,  he  said :  "I  thank  God  for  the 
coming  of  this  dear  man*of  God.  He  is  a  man  after  my 
own  heart.  I  don't  know  of  any  man  in  Christendom 


122  MOULD'S  FAIR    CAMPAIGN 

that  I  would  rather  have  stand  in  the  pulpit  of  our 
churches  than  this  dear  brother." 

This  decided  attitude  of  Mr.  Moody  and  his  warm, 
hearty,  brotherly  recognition  and  indorsement  of  his 
guest  as  a  man  of  God  had  a  most  happy  effect.  Dr. 
Stoecker  honored  this  confidence  of  his  friend  by  giving 
public  assurance  that  he  had  not  come  to  Chicago  as  an 
agitator,  but  as  a  preacher,  to  proclaim  the  gospel  to  his 
brethren.  His  first  public  address,  which  was  eagerly 
awaited  by  both  friends  and  foes,  soon  set  at  rest  the 
fears  of  the  former,  and  silenced  the  voices  of  the  latter, 
while  it  vindicated  the  wisdom  and  sound  judgment  of 
Mr.  Moody. 

During  three  weeks  Dr.  Stoecker  went  in  and  out 
among  us,  as  a  man  of  God  without  guile  and  without 
reproach,  preaching  the  gospel  in  beautiful  simplicity, 
sweetness,  and  power  in  various  churches,  halls,  and  tents, 
and  addressing  immense  audiences  in  the  Central  Music 
Hall,  on  four  memorable  occasions,  with  surpassing  elo- 
quence. Indifference,  prejudice,  and  opposition  alike 
bowed  beneath  the  conquering  spell  of  his  magnetic  per- 
sonality, his  clear,  keen,  luminous,  wide-reaching  thought, 
and  his  captivating,  triumphant  oratory.  Some  of  his 
hearers  will  not  soon  forget  how  he  brought  them  face  to 
face  with  the  highest  and  noblest  ideals  of  life  and  char- 
acter, and  with  the  overawing  realities  and  solemnities  of 
eternity;  how  he  appealed  to  the  German  heart  by  all 
that  is  best  and  most  inspiring  in  the  old  national  life, 
character,  and  history;  how  he  touched  with  masterly 
skill  and  power  the  mystic  chords  of  memory  that  bind 
every  true  German  heart  to  the  old  home-land  beyond  the 
sea ;  and  how  faithfully,  as  with  the  ken  and  courage  of 
a  prophet,  and  the  wisdom  of  one  taught  of  God  through 
the  lessons  of  history,  he  set  forth  the  evils  and  dangers 


LY    VAlilOUS  LANGUAGES  123 

that  beset  the  path  of  this  great  republic  in  its  career  of 
development,  and  pointed  out  the  only  security  for  per- 
sonal, individual,  social,  and  national  life  in  the  religion 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Some  will  long  remember  how 
persuasively  he  appealed  to  the  sons  of  the  old  fatherland 
to  show  themselves  worthy  of  the  new  fatherland  to  which 
they  had  come,  by  seeking  the  highest  good  of  the  places 
where  they  dwelt,  and  to  aspire  to  the  better  Fatherland 
in  that  unseen  world  toward  which  all  men  haste. 

Some  of  the  most  deeply  impressive  meetings  addressed 
by  Dr.  Stoecker  were  an  immense  gathering  in  one  of 
the  tents,  on  a  week-day  afternoon,  and  two  remarkable 
mothers'  meetings  in  Holmes's  Hall,  when  from  500  to 
600  German  mothers  listened  with  overwhelming  emotion 
to  the  burning  words  of  the  speaker.  Of  these  meetings 
Dr.  Stoecker  has  spoken  in  terms  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving to  God. 

The  last  address  of  Dr.  Stoecker,  before  an  audience  of 
3000  in  the  Central  Music  Hall,  was  his  crowning  triumph 
on  the  Chicago  platform.  His  soul  was  all  aglow  with 
the  contagious  emotion  of  high  and  holy  thought,  which 
diffused  itself  through  the  immense  multitudes  like  an 
electric  atmosphere,  in  which  the  speaker's  words  had  free 
course  to  run  and  be  glorified. 

Such  a  discourse  was  never  before  heard  in  Chicago. 
It  was  unreportable.  There  was  in  it  an  undertone  of 
irresistible  pathos,  and  breathing  through  it  the  irrepress- 
ible yearning  of  the  speaker's  heart  for  the  salvation  and 
highest  welfare  of  his  brethren,  and  the  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  city  and  the  land  wherein  they  had  found  a 
home.  It  was  as  though  the  spirit  of  the  old  fatherland 
itself  had  found  an  embodiment  and  a  voice  to  speak  to 
its  emigrant  children  on  the  shores  of  this  New  "World. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  what  estimate  the  German 


124  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMP  AW  X 

secular  press  has  formed  of  Dr.  Stoecker  in  his  noble 
championship  of  Christianity  in  Chicago.  A  fair  speci- 
men expression  will  be  found  in  an  editorial  of  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  influential  German  dailies  of  the  West, 
which  has  no  sympathy  with  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  article  is  remarkable  for  its  recognition  of  the  high 
character  and  abilities  of  the  illustrious  preacher,  and  of 
the  work  he  performed  in  Chicago.  Among  other  most 
appreciative  and  laudatory  things  it  says:  "For  Dr. 
Stoecker's  three  weeks'  work  in  Chicago  he  certainly  de- 
serves the  warm  appreciation  of  the  German- Americans." 

In  taking  leave  of  Mr.  Moody  and  his  co-workers,  Dr. 
Stoecker  was  deeply  moved,  and  responded  with  full  heart 
to  the  brotherly  kindness  of  which  he  had  become  the 
recipient. 

He  went  away  with  a  strong  desire  and  earnest  hope  to 
return  again  within  two  years,  if  God  permit,  to  help  his 
brethren  in  their  upward  striving  after  the  best  and  high- 
est things  for  the  lif e  that  now  is  and  for  that  which  is  to 
come. 

Mr.  Moody  himself  visited  the  meetings  of  the  various 
nationalities,  although  unable  to  understand  their  lan- 
guages, and  also  preached  once  for  the  Swedes,  for  the 
Bohemians,  and  for  the  Germans,  many  of  whom  could 
understand  and  enjoy  his  racy  English,  and  all  of  whom 
could  understand  the  spirit  with  which  he  spoke. 

The  impression  made  by  the  meetings  throughout  the 
city  on  other  nationalities  from  non-Christian  lands  was 
by  no  means  limited  to  the  languages  in  which  the  word 
was  preached  and  sung.  As  an  indication  of  the  general 
interest  in  the  English  services,  the  following  note,  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Moody,  will  serve  as  a  sample  of  many 
which  were  daily  received  at  his  office.  The  note  runs 
thus: 


AY    VARIOUS  LANGUAGES         •  125 

"  DEAR  MR.  MOODY  :  Please  send  me  twelve  tickets  to 
your  meeting  in  the  Haymarket  Theater,  on  next  Sunday 
morning,  for  a  company  of  Japanese  gentlemen,  repre- 
senting their  country  at  the  Columbian  Exposition.  They 
say  they  greatly  desire  to  attend  the  services.  They 
would  be  pleased  to  have  seats  together." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

GLIMPSES  OF  TENT  WORK. 

IN  this  rapid  survey  of  the  six  months'  work  in  Chicago 
a  very  prominent  place  should  be  given  to  what  might 
be  called  the  tent  brigade.  Reference  has  already  been 
made  to  the  tent  work,  whose  value  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. It  has  furnished  an  answer  to  the  oft-re- 
peated question,  "  How  shall  we  reach  the  masses  with  the 
gospel  ? " 

The  uninformed  reader,  who  has  never  attended  one  of 
those  meetings,  will  appreciate  a  little  outline  sketch  of 
a  typical  tent  meeting,  such  as  have  been  held  for  seven 
summers  in  various  parts  of  Chicago,  under  the  Chicago 
Evangelization  Society,  of  which  the  Bible  Institute  is 
a  part.  During  the  World's  Fair  season  five  of  these 
tents  were  in  constant  use,  accomplishing  an  incalculable 
amount  of  good. 

A  Specimen  Evening  Service. 

A  participant  thus  describes  an  evening  service  in  one 
of  the  tents : 

After  supper  in  the  men's  department  of  the  Bible  In- 
stitute about  one  hundred  men  are  on  their  knees  for  a 
few  moments.  Brief,  burning,  pointed  prayers  ascend. 
God  is  counted  on  to  stand  by  them  in  their  work.  Then, 
rising,  they  scatter  to  mission  and  tent,  going  in  some 

126 


GLIMPSES  OF  TEST    WORK  127 

cases  four,  five,  and  even  six  miles,  each  with  his  Bible 
and  little  package  of  tracts,  those  containing  plenty 
of  Scripture  being  preferred.  Meanwhile,  in  the  ladies' 
home,  fifty  young  women  have  been  making  similar  prep- 
arations. One  party  is  going  to  the  big  tent  on  Milwau- 
kee Avenue,  where  Mr.  Schiverea  is  holding  meetings. 
On  the  street-car  no  time  is  lost.  A  young  woman  oppo- 
site speaks  to  the  tired  shop-girl  at  her  side,  opens  her 
Bible,  and  points  her  to  Him  who  said,  "  Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest ;"  but  the  girl  must  get  off  at  the  next  block.  She 
slips  the  tract  "  God's  "Word  to  You  "  into  her  hand  with 
a  kind  pressure,  and  asks  her  to  read  it.  A  pleasant  smile 
and  a  good-night,  and  the  seed  is  sown.  Meanwhile  the 
young  men  are  not  idle.  A  tract  is  handed  to  a  fellow- 
passenger,  a  kind  word  is  spoken,  and  soon  they,  too, 
are  talking  of  that  wonderful  Saviour.  A  man  on  the 
platform  has  secured  the  attention  of  the  conductor,  who 
seems  under  conviction.  But  we  have  reached  our  desti- 
nation, and  step  from  the  cars. 

Before  us  is  the  tent,  brilliantly  lighted.  "We  enter,  and 
overhead  is  a  great  arch  of  canvas,  supported  by  three 
center-poles  and  smaller  ones  about  the  sides — an  audi- 
torium accommodating  1300  people,  and  seated  with  can- 
vas benches. 

The  little  party  kneel  in  prayer  for  the  presence  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Then  some  take  their  places 
upon  the  platform  to  sing  the  gospel,  some  stand  ready 
to  welcome  and  seat  the  audience,  and  others  go  out  upon 
the  street,  with  cards  of  invitation  to  bring  in  passers-by. 

From  our  seat  on  the  platform  we  watch  the  audience 
come  in.  First,  a  hesitating  group  of  ragged  little  ones, 
then  some  young  "  toughs,"  with  mischief  in  their  faces, 
are  passed  from  one  usher  to  another,  who  will  keep  his 


128  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

eye  upon  them.  Next  a  mother  with  a  baby  in  her  arms, 
a  laboring-man  in  gingham  shirt  and  no  collar,  fathers 
and  mothers  with  their  little  ones— so  they  gather — largely 
an  audience  of  respectable  working-people,  for  this  is  the 
character  of  the  neighborhood ;  but  the  "  tough  "  element 
is  not  wanting  also.  The  blue  coat  of  a  policeman  seen 
at  the  door  makes  it  easy  to  preserve  order.  The  police 
of  Chicago  have  proved  .good  friends  of  this  work,  and 
some  of  their  hearts  have  been  found  tender  as  well  as 
brave. 

A  gospel  hymn  opens  the  meeting,  and  how  these  peo- 
ple sing !  A  solo  from  an  Institute  lady,  full  of  the  gospel 
message,  more  hymns,  a  duet,  prayer,  and  the  evangelist 
begins  to  speak.  Tenderly,  lovingly,  he  deals  with  the 
people ;  unsparingly  he  deals  with  their  sins.  The  trace 
of  the  actor  still  lingers  in  his  graphic  illustrations,  largely 
drawn  from  his  own  experience  ;  but  so  anxious  is  he  that 
all  be  to  the  glory  of  God  that  he  uses  these  with  more 
and  more  care  every  year. 

The  address  is  short,  and  a  hymn  of  invitation  to  Christ 
is  sung  by  the  same  soloist  as  before,  and  then  the  speaker 
begins  to  ask  those  who  wish  to  turn  from  a  life  of  sin  to 
God  to  rise.  Here  and  there  they  rise  to  their  feet,  the 
Institute  workers  marking  them  carefully.  Then  the 
leader  says  that  all  may  go  who  wish  to  do  so,  but  that  a 
short  after-meeting  will  be  held  for  those  who  choose  to 
remain.  A  large  part  of  the  audience  stay,  and  the  work- 
ers thread  their  way  among  them,  sitting  down  by  those 
who  have  risen,  and  trying  from  the  Word  of  God  to  show 
the  way  of  salvation,  often  finding  among  those  who  lin- 
ger deep  conviction  of  sin,  without  the  courage  to  rise 
and  manifest  the  interest  felt.  At  a  late  hour  the  party 
are  once  more  on  the  cars,  singing  the  Lord's  songs  as 
they  take  the  long  ride  home, 


GLIMPSES   OF  TENT   WORK  129 

A  Specimen  All-day  Meetitig. 

A  World's  Fair  visitor  who  witnessed  the  extraordinary 
spectacle  of  one  of  the  enthusiastic  all-day  meetings  in 
Evangelist  Schiverea's  big  tent  gives  this  vivid  picture  of 
the  scene : 

All  day,  from  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  eleven  at 
night,  the  tent  was  crowded  with  working-people  singing 
gospel  hymns  and  hearing  vigorous,  common-sense  talk- 
ing by  the  leading  evangelists  of  the  day. 

It  was  a  singular  spectacle.  The  vaulted  ceiling  of  the 
church  was  replaced  by  the  swaying  folds  of  tent-cloth ; 
the  clustered  pillars  were  exchanged  for  leaning  tent- 
poles;  there  were  canvas-bottomed  benches  in  place  of 
cushioned  pews ;  a  cabinet  organ  was  substituted  for  the 
stately  instrument  of  the  church ;  instead  of  a  velvet  car- 
pet there  were  shavings  strewed  on  the  ground,  and  in 
place  of  colored  windows  the  sides  of  the  tent  were  all 
open,  so  that  the  daylight  streamed  in  and  the  songs  of 
choir  and  people  echoed  out  on  the  busy  streets. 

It  was  no  dress  occasion  for  the  audience.  They  came 
in  their  every-day  clothes — hard-working  men,  out-of- 
work  men,  old  men  and  young  boys,  strangers  in  the  city, 
neighbors  of  the  tent,  women  with  crowing  babes  in  their 
arms  and  little  children  clinging  about  them,  and  young 
girls  in  gay  bonnets ;  while  here  and  there  were  the  stu- 
dents of  Mr.  Moody's  Bible  Institute.  The  day  was  warm, 
but  the  audience  was  patient  and  attentive,  though  the 
tent  was  so  crowded  that  many  were  obliged  to  stand  out- 
side. Some  even  mounted  lumber  piles  and  looked  over 
the  heads  of  the  audience. 

Fifteen  hundred  people  attended  the  morning  services. 
At  nine  o'clock  Mr.  Schiverea  conducted  a  praise  service 
with  song,  testimony,  and  prayer,  closing  with  numerous 


130  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

requests  for  prayers.  At  ten  o'clock  the  Torrey  Quartet 
sang,  and  after  a  solo  by  D.  B.  Towner,  R.  A.  Torrey  gave 
a  practical  talk  on  Christian  service  and  growth.  After 
an  intermission  the  next  hour  was  begun  by  a  hymn  by 
the  Oberlin  Quartet,  then  Mr.  Moody  took  the  platform, 
and  began  his  address  by  saying  that  he  was  going  to 
talk  about  a  promise.  He  spoke  in  substance  as  follows : 

"  Christ  left  so  many  promises  and  such  good  ones  you 
can't  tell  which  is  the  best.  Some  people  don't  believe 
them,  some  think  they  are  too  good  to  be  true.  Some 
think  they  were  never  meant  to  be  believed,  and  some 
think  God  can't  fulfil  them.  Most  of  the  promises  are  on 
conditions,  but  the  promise  of  Jesus  was  not  on  condi- 
tions. Nothing  on  earth  or  in  hell  could  have  prevented 
his  coming.  Some  promises  were  to  the  Jews,  and  not  to 
us ;  but  this  promise  is  to  all  alike.  If  we  don't  appro- 
priate it,  it  isn't  worth  anything  to  us.  The  promise  is 
this:  'Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  The  want  of  the  human 
heart  is  rest :  theaters,  saloons,  and  pleasures  mean  the 
search  for  rest  in  pleasure. 

"Men  are  doomed  to  disappointment  if  they  try  to 
drown  sorrow  in  pleasure.  If  I  wanted  to  find  men  who 
had  rest  I  would  not  go  among  millionaires,  or  fashion- 
slaves,  or  politicians.  When  God  made  your  heart  and 
mine,  he  made  it  too  big  for  this  world.  The  world  can't 
fill  it.  We  need  two  worlds.  I'll  tell  you  where  to  find 
those  who've  got  rest.  Go  among  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 
Come  to  Jesus,  and  you  will  get  rest.  That's  my  experi- 
ence. You  will  find  it  at  the  cross.  Come,  and  you'll 
get  it. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  what  '  come '  means.  I  used 
to  work  hard  to  make  people  see  what  it  was  to  come ; 
but  I  don't  do  that  any  more ;  I've  gone  out  of  the  busi- 


GLIMPSES   OF  TEST    WORK  131 

ness.  The  first  thing  a  baby  learns  is  to  come — nothing 
mysterious  about  it !  The  Bible  is  full  of  it.  As  you 
follow  it  through,  the  voice  grows  louder  and  louder. 
Thank  God  for  the  call !  Come  with  your  sins.  Your 
sins  may  keep  you  out  of  heaven,  but  they  can't  keep  you 
from  Christ.  Why  don't  you  come,  chains  and  all  ?  Jesus 
can  set  you  free  from  your  sins.  Jesus  can  destroy  even 
the  appetite  for  drink.  He  means  not  you  goody  people, 
but  you  sinners. 

"Now,  to  Christians.  Christ  is  not  only  a  sin-bearer, 
he's  a  burden-bearer.  Let  the  Christians  corne  too,  and 
get  rest.  People  don't  do  that.  People  embalm  their 
sorrows.  Cast  your  sorrows  on  him.  People  drop  their 
sorrows  while  they  listen  to  a  preacher  or  a  singer,  and 
then  they  pick  them  right  up  again.  Cast  your  care  on 
him.  He  says,  '  I'll  give  you  rest.'  May  God  write  this 
on  the  heart  of  every  one  here !  " 

An  hour's  intermission  gave  time  for  dinner,  and  neigh- 
borly friends  entertained  those  who  had  come  from  a  dis- 
tance. At  one  o'clock  a  consecration  meeting  was  held, 
and  then  the  assembly  was  addressed  by  "  Abe  "  Mulkey, 
the  Texas  evangelist. 

During  the  next  hour  a  children's  meeting  was  held 
by  Major  Whittle.  Mr.  Jacobs's  solo  was  followed  by  a 
sweet  duet  by  two  little  golden-haired  girls.  Then  Mr. 
Jacobs  stood  a  little  six-year-old  baby  on  a  chair  and  she 
sang  a  solo,  to  the  delight  of  the  audience.  After  a  trio 
by  girls  and  considerable  congregational  singing,  Major 
Whittle  gave  an  illustrated  talk.  What  the  major  said 
was  so  forcible  and  clear  that  it  reached  the  older  people 
quite  as  effectually  as  it  did  the  children. 

After  a  quartet  by  the  Torrey  singers  the  Scotch  evan- 
gelist, Rev.  John  McNeill,  made  an  address.  He  began 
with  some  pleasantry  at  the  expense  of  his  own  nation- 


132  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

ality,  and  then  announced  as  his  theme  the  story  of  the 
man  with  the  withered  hand,  taken  from  the  third  chapter 
of  Mark.  In  substance  he  said : 

"The  Saviour's -interest  centered  in  the  man  with  the 
withered  hand — in  him  of  all  the  crowd  of  the  synagogue. 
The  Lord  loves  a  fellow  that's  down.  Jesus  said,  '  Stand 
forth.'  Then  he  said,  'Stretch  forth  thy  hand.'  Two 
words  did  the  business.  The  man  stood  forth.  Play  the 
man  if  you're  going  to  be  a  Christian.  You're  brazen- 
faced enough  as  a  sinner.  You  don't  care  who  sees  you 
going  into  the  saloon,  but  you're  ashamed  to  be  seen 
coming  to  Jesus. 

"  You  go  to  the  devil  without  a  blush ;  don't  be  ashamed 
to  be  a  Christian.  May  God  give  you  courage.  When 
the  man  stood  forth  Jesus  made  short  work  of  the  with- 
ered hand.  They  may  scoff  you  into  hell.  They  can't 
scoff  you  out.  Mind  you,  if  I'm  saying  sharp  things,  my 
heart's  warm.  God's  gospel  works  not  to  cut  to  pieces, 
but  to  cut  out  the  evil.  Stand  forth  in  the  midst.  Don't 
try  to  sneak  into  heaven.  Resist  the  devil  and  he'll  flee 
from  you.  He's  a  bigger  coward  than  you  are,  and  that's 
saying  a  good  deal.  One  man  with  Jesus  is  a  splendid 
majority.  The  man  with  the  withered  hand  might  have 
thought  Jesus  an  impostor.  Look  to  Jesus — don't  look 
at  your  sins.  Taking  Jesus  at  his  word  saves  me  for- 
evermore. 

"  Now,  I  want  to  follow  the  man  home.  There  is  an 
old  tradition  that  the  man  with  the  withered  hand  was  a 
stone-mason  spoiled  for  stone-cutting. 

"  Imagine  the  scene  when  the  man  went  home  to  his 
family  with  his  withered  hand  restored !  The  explana- 
tion was  all  in  one  word — Jesus.  My  God,  what  a  family 
blessing  salvation  is !  And  God  let  the  man  live  on  to 
prove  his  restoration.  God  doesn't  whisk  a  man  away  to 


GLIMPSES  OF  TENT  WOEK  133 

heaven  as  soon  as  he's  converted.  He  keeps  him  alive  to 
let  him  work.  Then  that  man  works  to  the  glory  of 
God. 

"  The  sermon's  preached.  Now  it's  to  do  it.  We  can't 
be  born  full-grown,  but  we  may  be  born  now.  Now, 
away  home  and  confess  Jesus." 

Another  splendid  audience  spent  the  evening  with  Mr. 
Schiverea.  The  evangelist  spoke  on  Peter's  attempt  to 
walk  on  the  water,  his  faithlessness,  failure,  and  rescue. 
The  text  was,  u  Lord,  save  me !  " — the  earnest  cry  of  an 
anxious  soul.  The  preacher  emphasized  the  fact  that 
Peter  cried  in  time  of  danger.  Many  a  man  is  led  within 
the  Saviour's  reach  by  force  of  circumstances.  Again, 
Peter  cried  when  he  was  just  beginning  to  sink,  instead 
of  waiting,  as  most  men  do,  till  he  had  sunk  altogether. 
It  was  a  cry  of  utter  helplessness.  The  sooner  a  man 
realizes  his  own  helplessness  the  sooner  will  he  lay  hold 
of  God's  almighty  help.  Moreover,  Peter's  ciy  was  ear- 
nest, and  not  only  earnest,  but  personal :  "  Lord,  save 
me !  "  Best  of  all,  it  was  a  cry  that  brought  instantaneous 
deliverance. 

Considerably  after  ten  o'clock  the  lights  were  put  out. 
Neighboring  saloon-keepers,  it  is  said,  say  that  the  Moody 
mission  is  ruining  their  business. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

INCIDENTS  OF  TENT  WORK. 

THE  work  in  the  tents  is  rich  in  incidents  of  the  most 
encouraging  character,  and  many  an  unwritten  romance 
of  providence  and  grace  has  there  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  workers.  For  the  sake  of  brevity  we  will  give  only 
a  few  of  the  ordinary  incidents  which  have  come  to  our 
knowledge.  Mr.  Schiverea  says :  "  I  met  a  man  one  night 
who  seemed  to  be  very  much  troubled,  and  I  soon  dis- 
covered that  he  was  a  drinking  man.  He  had  spent  from 
fifty  cents  to  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  drink  every  day  for 
ten  years,  and  at  that  time  had  in  his  pocket  a  bottle  of 
medicine  to  cure  the  appetite.  After  talking  with  him 
awhile  he  saw  that  Christ  was  what  he  wanted.  He  knelt 
down  and  confessed  his  sins,  praying  that  God  would  for- 
give him  for  breaking  his  poor  old  mother's  heart,  and  for 
grieving  his  wife,  who  is  now  dead,  and  for  neglecting  to 
support  his  daughter,  and  promising,  if  God  would  for- 
give him,  to  be  a  better  man  by  his  help.  The  next  day 
while  at  work  his  foreman  asked  him  what  was  the  matter 
with  him.  He  said  that  he  was  at  the  tent  the  night 
before  and  had  taken  Jesus  as  his  Saviour.  I  met  him 
about  a  week  afterward  and  he  told  me  it  was  the  happi- 
est week  of  his  whole  life,  and  that  he  had  spent  no  more 
money  for  liquor.  The  foreman  had  told  him,  '  If  God 
can  save  a  miserable  drunkard  like  you,  he  can  save  me/ 
and  promised  to  come  to  the  tent." 

134 


INCIDENTS   OF  TENT   WORK  135 

A  horse-jockey  who  had  been  racing  for  ten  years  was 
converted.  A  rurnseller's  wife  came  in  and  listened  to 
the  speaking,  but  said,  though  she  would  like  to  be  a 
Christian,  she  could  not  while  her  husband  was  in  that 
business.  A  rumseller,  sobered  by  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel,  admitted  that  he  would  like  to  be  a  Christian  but 
could  not,  as  he  was  selling  rum  near  the  tent,  and  felt 
that  God  could  not  save  him  while  in  that  business,  but 
that  he  would  be  out  of  the  business  in  a  short  time,  as 
he  was  tired  of  it,  knew  it  was  wrong,  and  could  see  the 
awful  harm  it  was  doing.  He  went  away  promising  to 
decide  for  Christ. 

Two  young  girls  were  found  in  the  back  of  the  tent 
one  night,  one  of  whom  was  crying.  The  evangelist 
spoke  to  her  about  her  soul's  salvation.  She  had  nothing 
to  say.  A  night  or  two  later  he  again  spoke  to  her,  when 
she  answered,  "  I  am  only  a  rumseller's  daughter."  "  But 
Jesus  loves  rumsellers'  daughters,  and  is  ready  to  save 
them."  She  answered,  "I  can  never  forgive  you;  you 
called  my  father  a  thief."  "  Oh,  no,  I  did  not."  "  Yes, 
you  said  they  stole  the  joy  and  peace  out  of  the  home, 
they  stole  character,  they  stole  manhood,  and  they  stole 
money  from  their  customers."  "  Well,  isn't  that  true  ?  " 
She  looked  up  into  the  face  of  the  evangelist,  and,  burst- 
ing into  tears,  said,  "  Oh,  yes,  it  is  true  !  "  "  Is  not  your 
mother  a  Christian  ? "  "  No ;  and  my  father  is  a  Roman 
Catholic."  She  was  urged  to  take  Christ  as  her  Saviour 
and  try  to  bring  in  father  and  mother,  and  in  a  groping 
fashion  tried  to  do  so.  The  next  night  an  Institute  lady 
was  on  her  knees  with  those  two  girls,  and  so  manifest 
was  the  power  of  God  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  place 
about  them  were  holy.  Later  the  girl  met  the  evangelist 
and  said :  "  It  is  all  right  now.  I  am  trusting  Jesus,  and 
my  friend  is  too." 


136  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

When  the  invitation  was  given  one  evening  in  Mr. 
Schiverea's  tent,  the  first  man  on  his  feet  was  a  Spaniard. 
Mr.  Schiverea  went  to  him  and  said,  "  Do  you  want  Jesus 
Christ  ? "  Said  he,  "  If  I  had  not  wanted  Jesus  Christ  I 
would  not  have  risen,  sir.  You  have  got  something  that 
I  do  not  know  anything  about,  and  I  want  it.  I  was  in 
a  saloon  and  my  wife  called  me  out  and  said,  '  I  have 
taken  Jesus  as  my  Saviour.  I  was  down  at  the  mothers' 
meeting  at  Moody's  church  and  took  Jesus  to  be  my 
Saviour,  and  now  I  want  you  to  come  with  me  to  the 
tent.'  I  came,  sir,  and  I  want  what  you  people  have  got. 
Aren't  you  a  Spaniard?"  "I  am  of  Spanish  parentage, 
but  do  not  speak  the  language."  "  Oh,  I  wish  you  did,  I 
am  so  full  in  here,"  putting  his  hands  on  his  breast.  This 
man,  who  speaks  several  languages  and  is  very  intelligent, 
came  to  Christ  like  a  little  child.  He  had  been  reared  in 
the  Catholic  Church,  but  like  many  others,  had  lost  faith 
in  it,  and  was  practically  an  infidel. 

In  the  great  throng  that  filled  Major  Whittle's  tent  one 
evening  was  a  wild,  reckless,  dissipated  Western  cowboy. 
He  had  hitched  his  pony  to  a  fence  near  by,  and  spent  the 
afternoon  in  drinking  and  carousal.  Passing  the  tent  in 
the  evening,  he  turned  in  to  see  what  was  going  on.  After 
the  sermon  Major  Whittle  engaged  him  in  conversation. 
In  answer  to  a  question  the  man  said  he  liked  what  he 
had  heard,  and  would  like  "  to  catch  on  "  if  he  could.  He 
was  evidently  a  stranger  to  religious  things.  After  faith- 
ful dealing  with  the  poor  sinner,  the  evangelist  finally  got 
him  to  consent  to  kneel  down  with  him  and  pray.  "  I 
have  never  done  anything  like  this,"  he  said.  The  major 
encouraged  him  to  pray  as  best  he  could,  and  the  poor 
fellow  cried  out,  "  O  God,  I  believe  in  you !  I  believe  you 
are  up  there,  and  I  am  down  here,  a  poor  sinner,  and  I  want 
to  be  saved."  Another  brand  plucked  out  of  the  fire. 


INCIDENTS   OF  TENT   WORK  137 

At  one  of  the  tent  meetings  the  following,  among  other 
testimonies,  were  given.  A  former  criminal  and  tramp 
said :  "  My  father  kept  a  saloon ;  I  was  brought  up  on  the 
street,  had  no  Christian  training,  and  learned  to  do  every- 
thing bad — smoke,  drink,  gamble,  and  steal.  I  learned 
the  barber  trade,  got  in  bad  company,  and  was  in  jail  nine 
times.  I  was  chased  from  Duluth  by  detectives.  For  a 
long  time  I  was  a  feather-weight  prize-fighter.  When  I 
came  to  Chicago  I  was  a  tramp  in  rags.  I  began  to  fre- 
quent city  missions,  and  all  by  myself  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  become  a  Christian,  though  I  was  led  to  do  so  by  the 
lives  of  Christian  people." 

A  colored  student  told  the  following  story:  "I  came 
from  Africa  a  few  years  ago.  I  entered  a  dime  museum 
to  give  exhibitions  of  African  customs.  After  that  I  used 
to  dance  barefooted  on  broken  glass  and  hot  iron  in  a 
show.  There  I  began  a  bad  life.  In  a  mission  in  Scran- 
ton,  Pa.,  I  was  converted  and  left  the  dime  museum  for- 
ever." 

A  young  man  said :  "  My  home  is  in  New  Zealand.  I 
was  converted  there,  and  there  I  heard  of  the  Bible  In- 
stitute, and  I  have  come  to  America  to  study  under  Mr. 
Moody." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ONE  OF  THE  TENT  WORKERS. 

MR.  FERDINAND  SCHIVEREA,  who  has  for  four  summers 
been  identified  with  tent  work  in  Chicago,  has  peculiar 
qualifications  which  well  entitle  him  to  the  commanding 
place  he  holds  in  that  service.  The  following  brief  sketch 
of  this  successful  soul-saver  may  fittingly  follow  the  de- 
scription of  a  work  in  which  he  has  been  the  most  promi- 
nent figure. 

One  night,  as  he  was  leaving  an  opera-house  door,  dur- 
ing his  preparation  for  the  stage,  his  pious  mother  met 
him  with  these  words :  "  Son,  I  have  good  news  for  you : 
you  are  going  to  be  converted  and  preach  the  gospel  be- 
fore I  die."  It  was  a  startling,  disquieting,  extraordinary 
message  to  hear,  with  the  applause  of  the  pleasure-seek- 
ing audience  still  ringing  in  his  ears,  and  the  flash  and 
glitter  of  the  footlights  still  before  him.  The  words  sank 
deep  into  his  heart.  He  made  no  reply,  but  silently  took 
the  loving  mother  on  his  arm  and  went  homeward.  The 
more  he  thought  of  it  the  more  he  was  convinced  that 
accumulation  of  sorrows  and  struggles,  brought  about  by 
the  dissipation  of  his  father  and  his  own  wayward  life, 
had  shattered  her  mind,  and  now  she  had  gone  insane. 
But  this  conviction  of  her  mental  state  soon  passed  away, 
and  while  he  could  not  accept  her  prophecy  as  true,  it 
nevertheless  unsettled  his  own  mind.  He  sought  again 
and  again  to  recover  his  former  buoyancy  of  spirits, 
daubed  on  more  burned  cork,  mimicked  the  more,  but 

138 


ONE  OF  TSE  TENT   WORKERS  139 

. 

to  no  successful  end.  The  arrow  of  conviction  had  gone 
home  to  his  heart. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Moody  was  holding  a  series  of  gospel 
meetings  in  Brooklyn.  He  was  providently  led  to  one  of 
these  services,  and  then  the  Spirit  of  God  took  hold  on 
him  mightly.  He  had  no  rest  for  days,  and  finally  passed 
out  into  the  light  a  saved  man.  His  first  impulse  was 
to  "  tell  mother."  Returning  home  at  once,  he  found  his 
mother,  who  had  been  reading  the  Word,  sitting  in  her 
chair  asleep.  With  a  tender  caress  he  awoke  her,  and  with 
tears  of  joy  told  her  God  had  saved  him.  Then  the  dear 
old  saint  put  her  arms  about  her  new-born  son  and  said : 
"  I  have  asked  God  for  this,  dear  child ;  I  have  given  you 
to  God,  and  he  has  just  done  what  he  said  he  would  if  I 
only  would  believe." 

Ferdinand  Schiverea  now,  like  all  truly  converted  souls, 
began  to  work  for  his  master  at  home.  His  first  effort 
was  to  lead  his  brothers  to  Christ.  No  sooner  was  he 
converted  than  he  reached  out  for  the  neighbors.  This 
he  sought  to  accomplish  by  fitting  up  a  small  rear  room 
in  his  poor  home.  The  converted  brother  would  go  on 
the  sidewalk  and  invite  the  people  into  the  improvised 
chapel,  where  Ferdinand  welcomed  them.  When  they 
had  thus  secured  an  audience  the  meeting  began.  Every 
night  for  months  the  good  work  went  on,  and  thus  step 
by  step  he  was  led  to  a  grander  work. 

During  this  period,  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  the 
young  man  labored  hard  at  manual  labor  to  support  his 
young  wife  and  mother.  But  while  he  was  thus  employed 
with  his  hands  his  mind  and  soul  were  being  fed  on 
the  Word  of  God.  His  work  for  four  years'  time  was  in 
a  large  basement  of  a  furniture  house,  where  he  packed 
goods  for  shipment.  In  this  basement  was  a  coal  cellar, 
and  here,  in  the  unemployed  time  and  at  the  noon  hour, 


140  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

he  locked  himself  in,  and  in  this  theological  seminary — a 
very  university  of  adversity — alone  with  God,  on  his  knees, 
educated  his  soul  and  mind  for  future  usefulness.  Hav- 
ing left  school  at  an  early  age,  he  did  not  even  secure  the 
advantage  of  a  common  school  education. 

The  first  work  that  God  especially  blessed  him  in  was 
that  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  for  twelve 
months  he  held  meetings  nearly  every  night.  The  place 
that  was  there  marked  the  black  spot  was  turned  into 
one  of  the  brightest  places  of  the  city.  He  has  labored 
in  some  of  the  principal  cities  and  towns  of  the  United 
States,  also  most  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  Canada. 

Earnest,  eager  for  souls,  brave  to  declare  the  whole 
truth,  unselfish  and  full  of  wisdom  and  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  he  is  winning  many  for  the  kingdom.  Warm- 
hearted, faithful,  and  loyal,  he  preaches  a  gospel  for  the 
masses  in  plain,  simple  terms,  with  homely  illustrations 
and  warm-hearted  application. 

He  is  eminently  a  man  of  prayer.  Simple,  clear,  and 
direct  in  his  appeal  to  the  throne  of  grace,  he  at  once  wins 
the  attention  and  sympathy  of  his  hearers.  Although  he 
is  a  power  with  the  common  people  while  on  the  platform, 
it  is  in  the  after-meetings  that  the  man's  true  character 
and  spirit  are  manifest.  Here  he  at  once  goes  to  the 
heart  and  life  of  the  sin-sick  soul.  He  often  puts  one  of 
his  great  strong  arms  around  some  poor  drunkard  or 
fallen  man,  and  with  the  other  points  him  to  the  great 
Burden-bearer  of  a  weary  world.  By  the  very  force  of 
his  earnestness  and  loving  pleading,  many  break  down 
in  an  agony  of  tears  and  at  once  take  the  Christ  held  out. 
It  is  the  one  consuming  passion  of  his  life  to  bring  sin- 
ners to  the  Christ  who  has  saved  him  and  kept  him  in  all 
his  ways,  and  God  is  honoring  his  faith  and  zeal  with 
constant  success. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

WORK  AMONG  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 

No  survey  of  the  World's  Fair  evangelistic  movement 
would  be  complete  without  taking  account  of  the  special 
work  done  for  children  and  young  people.  It  is  true  that 
in  many  or  most  of  the  great  meetings  held  by  the  evan- 
gelists there  were  many  children  present  who  shared  in 
the  benefits  thereof.  But  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  special 
meetings  held  for  the  children,  a  large  measure  of  the 
most  blessed  results  of  the  great  campaign  would  have 
been  lost. 

During  the  season  of  tent  work  there  were  always  large 
numbers  of  young  people  present  in  the  meetings.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  pleasing  sights  to  see  entire  families,  from 
the  oldest  to  the  youngest,  parents  and  children,  throng- 
ing to  those  meetings,  day  after  day,  month  after  month. 
And  in  many  cases  they  were  brought  by  families  into  the 
ark  of  salvation,  oftentimes  the  little  ones  leading  the 
way. 

Major  D.  W.  Whittle,  Ferd.  Schiverea,  and  others  of  the 
tent  workers  made  a  specialty  of  work  for  the  children, 
using  the  stereopticon  and  illustrative  teaching.  Major 
Whittle,  who  has  years  of  fruitful  experience  of  such 
work,  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  this  department  of 
service,  and  realized  constant  results  in  happy  conver- 
sions. All  other  workers  among  the  children  were  re- 
warded with  fruits  of  their  labors.  Not  by  any  means 

141 


142  WORLD 'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

the  least  of  the  good  results  accomplished  by  showing  a 
special  interest  in  the  children  has  been  the  influence  and 
effect  upon  the  parents.  In  many  cases  this  has  proved 
to  be  the  most  direct,  and  perhaps  in  some  instances  the 
only  way,  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the  parents  and  older 
members  of  the  families. 

In  the  month  of  June  Mr.  George  D.  Mackay,  of  New 
York,  devoted  ten  consecutive  nights  to  the  children  in 
the  Chicago  Avenue  Church.  It  was  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  in  the  most  direct  and  simple  way,  in  effect,  hold- 
ing up  steadily  before  the  eyes  and  hearts  of  the  assembly 
the  face  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  method  was  to 
throw  upon  a  canvas  by  a  stereopticon  a  series  of  beauti- 
ful pictures  illustrating  the  life  of  Christ,  copied  from  the 
best  paintings  of  old  and  modern  masters.  As  these 
scenes  passed  before  the  eyes  of  the  children  Mr.  Mackay 
read,  with  but  little  comment  or  explanation,  from  a  har- 
monized arrangement  of  the  gospels  those  portions  bear- 
ing upon  the  scenes  presented.  The  pictures  and  the 
story  did  their  quiet  work  on  the  young  minds  and  hearts, 
and  a  number  were  brought  to  Jesus.  So  great  was  the 
interest  in  the  meetings  that  crowds  stood  awaiting  the 
opening  of  the  doors  each  night,  and  the  building  was 
soon  packed  to  overflowing. 

On  the  1st  of  August  Miss  B.  B.  Tyson,  of  Washington, 
D.  C.,  commenced  her  work  among  the  young  people  in 
connection  with  the  campaign.  She  came  with  the  repu- 
tation of  a  successful  leader  and  worker.  From  the  1st 
of  August  to  the  close  of  the  campaign,  October  31st,  she 
held  daily  meetings  in  churches,  chapels,  halls,  or  tents, 
with  an  aggregate  attendance  of  28,550,  at  a  low  estimate. 
And  for  another  month  following  the  close  of  the  cam- 
paign she  continued  her  daily  meetings  with  even  larger 
attendance  and  greater  results.  About  11,500  people  at- 


WOliK  AMONG   THE   YOUNG    PEOPLE  143 

• 

tended  the  meetings  of  the  month,  and  many  were  con- 
verted, not  only  children,  but  young  men  and  women,  as 
well  as  fathers  and  mothers. 

In  Miss  Tyson's  meetings  the  children  soon  learned  to 
cooperate  heartily  with  her,  and  they  proved  to  be  good 
workers  in  bringing  others  to  the  services.  At  one  place 
there  were  300  strangers  brought  in  by  them  in  the  course 
of  one  week.  The  evening  congregations  were  usually 
composed  more  than  half  of  grown  people.  The  fathers 
and  mothers  were  often  brought  in  by  the  children  who 
had  come  and  found  Christ,  and  in  many  cases  these 
parents  also  were  brought  to  the  feet  of  the  Saviour. 

Miss  Tyson  deals  in  the  most  direct,  simple,  straight- 
forward manner  with  her  hearers.  She  has  well  learned 
the  high  art  of  attracting,  interesting,  controlling,  and 
influencing  congregations  of  young  people  without  reac- 
tionary tricks  and  devices.  She  preaches  the  plain,  simple 
gospel  of  Christ,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with 
chalk  pictures  and  words  that  go  straight  to  mind  and 
heart.  The  object  always  is  the  salvation  of  the  hearer. 
"  At  the  close  of  her  addresses,"  says  Miss  Anna  Pierson, 
one  of  her  assistants,  "there  follows  a  second  or  after 
meeting  for  personal  dealing  with  individual  souls.  There 
is  no  fixed  plan  for  this  meeting,  but  it  is  varied  accord- 
ing to  circumstances,  as  the  Lord  directs.  At  one  time  it 
is  given  up  to  testimony  or  prayer,  when  all  Christians, 
both  young  and  old,  take  part.  At  another  time  oppor- 
tunity is  given  to  the  unconverted  to  take  a  stand  for 
Christ,  either  by  the  raising  of  the  hand  or  by  coming 
forward.  After  this  the  workers  talk  and  pray  with  each 
one  separately.  After  the  close  of  a  mission  in  a  place 
some  worker  is  appointed  to  look  after  the  converts,  and 
in  some  places  meetings  are  held  for  them  once  a  week,  to 
give  them  spiritual  help  in  their  Christian  life." 


144  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

* 

Incidents. 

The  following  incidents,  related  by  Miss  Pierson,  will 
serve  as  indications  of  what  is  constantly  occurring  in 
connection  with  Miss  Tyson's  work : 

"  At  one  of  the  meetings  a  man  seventy-five  years  of 
age  was  converted.  He  said  that  the  last  time  he  had 
prayed  was  when  he  was  a  child  at  his  mother's  knee. 

"  One  night  a  father  arose  to  thank  the  Lord  that  his 
four  boys  had  all  been  brought  to  the  Saviour  during  the 
meetings. 

"During  the  after-meeting  one  evening,  the  leader 
noticed  two  boys  sitting  together  talking  earnestly.  On 
inquiring  whether  they  were  Christians,  one  of  them  re- 
plied that  he  had  been  saved  at  the  meeting  two  nights 
before.  His  companion,  he  said,  wanted  to  be  a  Christian 
too,  but  no  one  had  come  to  tell  him  how.  As  no  one  had 
come,  this  two-day-old  Christian  boy  had  told  his  com- 
panion just  how  he  had  accepted  Christ.  Then  they  had 
prayed  together,  and  the  second  boy  believed  that  he  too 
had  received  a  new  heart.  On  questioning  the  new  con- 
vert the  leader  found  that  he  seemed  to  understand  clearly 
what  he  had  done,  and  to  be  truly  trusting  in  Jesus  Christ. 

"  An  unconverted  mother  was  brought  in  one  night  by 
one  of  the  children.  She  was  a  moral  woman,  and  had 
never  felt  herself  a  sinner.  She  was  convicted  and  con- 
verted, and  went  home  and  told  her  unconverted  husband. 
He  came  with  her  the  following  night,  and  he  too  decided 
for  Christ.  The  next  day,  while  at  work  and  talking  with 
some  companions,  he  began  to  emphasize  one  of  his  state- 
ments with  an  oath.  He  stopped  suddenly,  for  he  said  he 
felt  that  he  could  not  take  the  name  of  his  Saviour  in 
vain.  Then  for  the  first  time  he  felt  that  he  was  indeed  a 
changed  man.  The  next  day,  for  the  first  time,  he  gave 


WORK  AMONG    THE   YOUNG   PEOPLE  145 

God  thanks  at  the  table  for  the  food  provided,  and  set  up 
a  family  altar. 

"At  a  testimony  meeting  a  mother  arose  and  gave 
thanks  for  the  great  change  in  her  children  and  home 
since  the  meetings  began.  At  the  same  meeting  a  little 
girl  gave  a  very  beautiful  testimony  in  the  following 
words :  ( I  used  to  think  I  was  very  happy  when  I  had  a 
new  book  given  me,  or  a  new  gift  of  any  kind,  but  I  never 
was  so  happy  in  my  life  as  I  was  the  day  Jesus  gave  me  a 
new  heart.' " 

"It  is  pleasing  to  see,"  says  Miss  Tyson,  in  speaking  of 
her  work  during  the  oppressive  heat  of  summer,  "  and  it 
causes  in  us  rejoicing  and  thanksgiving  to  God  that  so 
many  dear  children  are  drawn  to  our  religious  meetings 
these  afternoons  when  the  heat  is  so  oppressive,  and  the 
parks  afford  so  much  greater  physical  comfort,  and  the 
streets  are  alive  with  attractions.  What  a  privilege  to 
work  for  Jesus  and  to  feed  his  lambs !  In  many  cases 
fathers  and  mothers  come  with  their  children.  Is  this  not 
a  case  in  which  '  a  little  child  shall  lead  them '  ?  These 
parents  would  not  thus  place  themselves  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  word  but  for  the  abounding  interest  of  their 
little  ones  in  these  meetings.  At  one  meeting  there  were 
eight  baby-coaches  in  the  tent,  babies  sleeping  quietly 
while  their  mothers  enjoyed  the  service. 

"  One  of  our  tents  is  now  located  where  it  was  two  years 
ago,  at  which  time  quite  a  number  of  young  people  pro- 
fessed faith  in  Christ,  and  the  genuineness  and  perma- 
nence of  that  work  are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  at  our 
very  first  meeting  a  father  gave  thanks  to  God  for  the 
conversion  of  his  two  sons  two  years  ago,  and  twenty- 
four  young  people,  from  ten  to  seventeen  years  of  age, 
have  testified  that  they  also  decided  for  the  Saviour  at  the 
meetings  held  two  years  ago." 


146  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Careful  observers  have  been  thankful  to  see  that  the 
work  among  the  children  never  fails  to  yield  large  returns, 
perhaps  exceeding  any  other  form  of  religious  work.  It 
has  been  remarked  that  as  the  tents  go  back,  year  after 
year,  into  the  same  neighborhoods,  children  who  were 
converted  in  years  previous  are  found  living  lives  which 
shame  those  of  many  older  Christians,  testifying  for 
Christ,  enduring  much  self-denial,  and  often  persecution. 

One  of  the  Meetings. 

One  of  the  leaders  gives  us  this  spirited  picture  of  one 
of  the  children's  meetings,  the  closing  one  of  a  series  in 
the  tents : 

"  Sitting  on  the  front  seat  is  a  dear,  white-faced,  flaxen- 
haired  Swede,  eyes  as  blue  as  the  sky,  dressed  as  she 
would  have  been  for  a  protrait,  hair  braided  all  over  her 
head,  clean  as  a  pink,  quiet  as  a  mouse,  with  hands  folded 
in  her  lap,  all  ready  to  listen. 

"Next  her  is  a  dusky  Italian;  she  has  no  stockings, 
no  shoes,  dress  all  torn,  face  all  aglow,  with  eyes  full  of 
pathos,  face  full  of  eager  attention,  love  for  Jesus  shin- 
ing through  all,  never  still  a  moment,  but  as  sweet  as  the 
fairer  girl  next  her. 

"  Next  her  is  a  nice  little  Scotch  girl,  with  a  baby  sister 
cuddled  close  to  her  side.  She  is  as  modest  as  a  violet, 
and  has  just  come  over.  I  asked  her  how  many  brothers 
and  sisters  she  had,  and  when  she  said  eleven,  I  exclaimed, 
'  Oh,  my  !  how  did  mamma  bring  you  all  over — wasn't  she 
afraid  some  of  you  would  get  lost  ? '  Looking  into  my 
face  with  eyes  clear  and  truthful,  she  answered,  '  Oh,  yes ! 
mamma  was  afraid,  so  she  tied  us  all  together  on  ship- 
board.' She  loves  Jesus  now,  and  will  take  better  care  of 
brother. 


WORK  AMONG    THE   YOUNG   PEOPLE  147 

"  Next  behind  come  flashing  Irish  eyes — a  boy  and  girl 
of  eleven  and  twelve — ready  either  for  smiling  or  weep- 
ing, yet  underneath  all  determined  to  be  Christians. 
Then  come  a  couple  of  children  from  the  sunny  South, 
with  skins  darker  than  Italians,  but  with  faces  grown 
serious  as  they  listen  to  the  gospel. 

"  The  boys  answer  a  similar  description,  and  some  of 
them  are  to  be  the  future  aldermen  of  Chicago.  If  they 
are  truly  converted  the  city  will  be  blessed. 

"  The  last  day  comes.  For  four  weeks  hearts  have  been 
touched  and  souls  have  been  born  again,  and  now  comes 
the  parting.  The  tent  moves  to  another  place.  The  faces 
are  all  serious,  tender,  and  brave.  We  sing  the  well- 
learned  songs.  We  pray,  asking  God  to  be  their  Shep- 
herd. Poor  little  lambs !  The  wolves  are  after  them  all 
too  soon ! 

"  Then  our  evangelist,  Mr.  Williams,  talks.  The  quiet 
is  oppressive  as  he  advises  them  to  read  and  pray  and 
live  close  to  Jesus.  The  girls'  choir  recites  1 1  will  lift  up 
mine  eyes  unto  the  hills.'  We  sing  l  God  be  with  you  till 
we  meet  again,'  and  the  August  tent  work  for  children  is 
ended." 

Impressive  Experiences. 

One  of  the  lady  workers  of  the  Bible  Institute  gives 
this  bright  bit  out  of  her  happy  experiences  among  the 
children : 

"  A  pull  at  my  dress,  and  I  turn  to  find  a  little  eight- 
year-old  girl  standing  by  me  in  the  tent.  Her  little  face 
is  all  eagerness  as  she  looks  into  mine,  and  she  holds 
tightly  by  the  hand  a  tiny  girl,  whom  she  tells  me  is  Josie, 
and  she  is  '  most  six.' 

"  Hurriedly  but  sweetly  she  tells  me  that  her  heart  has 
been  clean  since  yesterday,  and  she  wants  her  little  sister 


148  WORLD 'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

to  have  hers  cleansed  too  j  that  it  was  such  a  black  heart 
before  because  in  it  was  no  love  for  the  dear  Jesus  whose 
blood  could  make  it  clean ;  that  it  is,  oh,  so  nice  to  have  it 
clean,  and  that  Josie  must  have  hers  washed  too. 

"  In  her  eagerness  she  keeps  pushing  the  little  sister  in 
front  of  her,  but  answering  all  my  questions  herself. 

"  '  Oh,  yes,  miss,  she  knows  her  heart  hasn't  been  made 
clean.'  l  She  knows  Jesus'  blood  will  make  it  clean.'  <  She 
won't  let  any  black  spots  get  on  it,  'cause  Jesus  will  help 
her — we  will  ask  him  together.  I  won't  let  her  forget  to 
ask.  I  will  tell  her  about  it  all  the  time.7  '  Oh,  please,  she 
isn't  too  little,  is  she,  if  I  keep  telling  her  all  the  time  she 
mustn't  let  any  black  spots  get  on  her  heart  ? ' 

"  Drawing  the  little  one  close  to  me,  I  tell  her  of  that 
first  missionary,  who,  after  that  experience  of  a  few  hours 
spent  with  Jesus  in  a  little  hut  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea, 
'  first  findeth  his  own  brother '  and  brought  him  to  Jesus. 

"With  a  happy  and  contented  smile  she  listens,  and 
then  says  to  me,  'Then  I  am  a  little  missionary,  too. 
Isn't  it  nice  to  bring  folks  to  Jesus  ?  I  am  going  to  bring 
some  more.' 

"And  as  she  goes  out  of  the  tent — so  happy  in  her  mis- 
sion— ah  earnest  prayer  goes  up  from  my  heart  for  her, 
that  it  may  always  be  natural  for  her  to  tell  of  this  which 
so  fills  her  heart  as  for  a  flower  to  unfold,  or  a  fountain 
to  bubble  forth,  and  that,  thus  telling,  she  may  find  and 
bring  many  to  him." 

Little  Clara. 

Miss  Poxon  has  a  rich  store  of  precious  experiences  in 
her  blessed  and  fruitful  work  with  the  children.  In  the 
following  striking  sketch  she  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  "  the 
way  it  works."  She  says : 

"  One  afternoon  in  the  children's  meeting,  after  all  the 


WORK  AMONG   THE   YOUNG  PEOPLE  149 

workers  had  gone,  Mr.  S.  noticed  two  little  girls  sitting 
on  the  front  seat.  I  went  to  them,  and  kneeling  down  in 
front  of  them,  I  said,  '  And  what  do  these  girlies  want  ? 
Do  they  want  to  be  Christians  ? '  The  larger  one,  whose 
name  was  Clara,  said,  'Oh,  yes,  we  have  wanted  to  be 
Christians  this  long  time,  but  nobody  asked  us.'  Taking 
them  to  God's  Word,  I  showed  them  how  much  he  wanted 
them,  even  so  much  as  to  give  his  Son  for  them.  Then 
we  knelt  in  prayer,  Clara'  praying  herself,  asking  God  to 
give  her  a  clean  heart. 

"We  arose,  and  then  I  explained  'believe,'  'receive/ 
'confess,'  telling  her  to  be  sure  and  tell  mamma  when 
she  returned  home.  I  held  in  my  hand  a  Testament.  She 
asked  me  for  one,  saying,  '  Will  you  mark  the  lesson  we 
had  to-day  ? '  The  lesson  was,  '  Lord,  save  me,' '  Lord,  help 
me,'  '  Lord,  remember  me.'  I  marked  each  place,  and  sev- 
eral others,  for  her.  She  promised  to  read  it  every  day. 
She  returned  the  next  day.  We  had  a  testimony  meeting, 
and  she  was  the  first  on  her  feet,  saying,  '  I  gave  my  heart 
to  Jesus  yesterday,  and  her  helps  me.'  She  came  every 
day  that  week,  to  be  an  inspiration  to  the  leader  of  the 
children's  meeting. 

"  The  next  Tuesday  I  missed  that  bright  face.  Wednes- 
day it  rained.  Thursday  she  was  not  there.  Friday  was 
the  last  day  of  the  children's  meetings  in  that  place.  I 
looked  for  the  darling,  but  had  not  time  to  go  to  her 
home  before  meeting.  As  soon  as  it  closed  I  sent  three 
girls  with  two  picture-cards  for  the  two  sisters.  Coming 
back  in  a  few  moments,  they  said,  '  Why,  Clara  is  dead !  • 
They  have  just  come  from  her  funeral.'  I  went  over  to 
the  house ;  found  it  all  true.  She  was  taken  ill  on  Mon- 
day, and  asked  for  '  teacher '  several  times.  Her  mother 
did  not  know  my  address,  and  Wednesday  it  rained  so 
badly  she  thought  we  would  not  be  there.  Thursday  she 


150  WORLD'S  FAIlt   CAMPAIGN 

called  her  mother  to  her,  asking  her  to  sing  '  I  think  when 
I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old/  and  said,  '  Mamma,  that 
verse  about  his  hands  on  my  head,  sing  that.'  The  mother 
did  not  know  it.  Then  she  asked  for  her  Testament,  and 
said,  '  Read,  mamma,  "  Lord,  save  me,"  "  Lord,  help  me," 
"  Lord,  remember  me."  I  saw  that  little  Testament,  all 
covered  with  her  finger-marks,  where  she  had  read.  She 
became  unconscious  soon  after,  and  died  that  evening, 
saying,  as  she  passed  away,  '  Suffer  the  little  children  to 
come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.'  How  thankful  I  am  for  that  one 
more  precious  soul  in  heaven." 

Another  Zaccheus. 

Another  incident  related  by  Miss  Poxon  is  so  sugges- 
tive and  encouraging  that  we  may  not  pass  it  by  without 
sharing  it  with  our  readers.  She  says : 

"  One  afternoon  in  the  tent  we  had  had  a  lesson  about 
three  steps  to  a  saved  world :  the  first  was  '  Listen,'  the 
second,  'Receive,'  and  the  third,  'Follow.'  We  talked 
about  '  Listen,'  came  to  '  Receive,'  and  forgot  entirely 
what  to  say.  The  lesson  prepared  had  entirely  slipped 
out  of  mind.  Pausing  a  moment  and  asking  the  Lord 
to  give  us  the  lesson,  a  picture  of  mothers'  meeting  came 
before  our  eyes,  and  we  heard  Mrs.  Capron's  voice  saying, 
'  He  received  him  joyfully.'  So,  telling  the  story  of  Zac- 
cheus and  the  tree  instead  of  the  one  forgotten,  we  went 
on  with  the  lesson,  closing  with  an  after-meeting.  In  the 
after-meeting  one  of  the  students  called  me,  saying,  as  he 
introduced  a  boy,  '  This  is  Zaccheus.  He  has  given  his 
heart  to  Jesus  this  afternoon  and  received  him  joyfully.' 
A  boy  of  about  twelve,  he  had  slipped  into  the  rear  of 
the  tent  and  been  attracted  by  hearing  his  own  unusual 


\\OHK  AMONG-   THE   YOUNG  PEOPLE  151 

name,  aiid  the  Holy  Spirit  had  used  a  mothers'-meeting 
lesson  given  a  year  and  a  half  ago  to  bring  this  boy  to 
Christ. 

"He  was  told  to  confess  Christ  at  home.  He  went 
home,  bringing  his  mother  to  the  tent  at  night.  She  was 
converted.  The  third  night  he  brought  his  aunt,  and  she 
was  converted.  Then  a  neighbor  woman  who  had  been 
interested  before  he  was  converted,  but  had  refused  to 
come  into  the  tent,  was  brought  by  Zaccheus,  and  she  too 
took  Christ  as  her  Saviour. 

"But  Zaccheus's  father  was  incensed  with  the  boy's 
confession  of  Christ,  and  when  he  refused  to  go  for  beer 
pounded  him  severely,  and  when  his  wife  told  him  that 
she  had  accepted  Christ  as  her  personal  Saviour,  and  that 
from  this  time  on  she  would  try  to  be  a  more  loving, 
dutiful  wife,  he  was  aroused  to  all  the  furies  of  a  demon. 
He  cursed  and  abused  his  wife,  who,  to  his  surprise,  took 
it  silently  and  humbly,  and  then  started  for  the  tent  with 
a  pistol  and  knife  to  kill  Mr.  Williams  and  myself.  Being 
prevented  in  this,  he  packed  up  his  trunk  and  left  home. 
He  appeared  to  his  wife  one  morning  at  nine  o'clock  crazy 
drunk,  and  was  carried  to  the  Washingtonian  Home,  but 
at  half-past  ten  that  night  he  was  again  at  home.  His 
wife  was  afraid  to  open  the  door,  but,  listening,  recog- 
nized a  sober  man's  voice  instead  of  the  drunken  fury  who 
went  away  from  her.  As  she  opened  the  door  he  fell  into 
her  arms  and  kissed  her,  telling  her  that  he~was  a  con- 
verted man.  She  awakened  Zaccheus,  and  they  had  a 
prayer-meeting  right  on  the  spot. 

"  The  aunt  who  had  been  converted  lived  in  the  same 
house 'as  Zaccheus's  parents,  and  she  soon  brought  her 
husband  under  the  sound  of  the  gospel,  when  he  was 
converted.  Here,  then,  were  the  mother  and  father,  aunt 
and  uncle,  and  the  neighbor — five  grown  people,  in  addi- 


152  WORLD'S  FAIR  CAMPAIGN 

tion  to  the  little  boy — who  were  turned  from  the  sendee 
of  Satan  to  God  through  the  influence  of  that  forgotten 
passage  in  the  children's  meeting. 

"  But  that  is  not  all.  The  great  burden  on  the  heart  of 
one  of  the  women  was  her  unconverted  fatherless  brothers 
and  sisters  in  Nebraska.  Sending  a  request  to  the  moth- 
ers' meeting  to  pray  for  her,  she  started  for  Nebraska  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  them.  Thus  far  her  efforts  have  re- 
sulted in  the  conversion  of  one  sister,  and  who  shall  tell 
whereunto  this  thing  shall  grow  ? " 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

WITH  THE   GOSPEL  WAGON. 

VARIOUS  methods  were  adopted  by  the  evangelistic 
forces  to  bring  the  Word  of  God  to  the  drifting  crowds 
on  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  to  the  men,  women,  and 
children  who  lingered  about  stores,  saloons,  and  door- 
steps in  the  evenings.  One  of  the  most  effectual  of  these 
was  the  gospel  wagon,  which  is  really  a  small  house  and 
chapel  on  wheels,  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  admirablj- 
adapted  for  its  purpose.  The  mission  of  the  gospel  wagon 
was  twofold :  to  bring  the  gospel  in  short  addresses  and 
stirring  songs  to  the  ears  of  the  people,  and  to  advertise 
the  various  meetings  in  the  theaters,  halls,  churches,  and 
tents,  to  draw  the  crowds  from  the  streets  thither.  The 
wagon  was  in  charge  of  Evangelist  J.  C.  Davis  and  the 
gospel  singer  H.  I.  Higgins.  Other  speakers  and  singers 
assisted,  according  to  circumstances. 

A  visitor  thus  describes  one  of  the  services  in  which  he 
participated :  "A  new  and  striking  feature  of  the  last  week's 
work  has  been  the  gospel  carriage.  The  strange  vehicle  has 
attracted  considerable  attention  all  over  the  city.  Tues- 
day evening's  work  may  serve  as  a  sample.  The  carriage 
left  the  Institute  about  a  quarter  to  eight  o'clock  and  made 
for  Townsend  Street.  When  the  destination  was  reached 
the  carriage  stopped  close  to  the  curb,  a  platform  was  hung 
out  from  the  rear,  a  baby  organ  weighing  only  seventeen 
pounds  set  upon  it,  and  a  lantern  hung  out.  The  service 

153 


154  WOULD* s  FAIR  CAMPAIGN 

was  conducted  by  Mr.  Davis  and  his  singer.  Several 
others  assisted  in  the  speaking  and  singing.  There  was  a 
great  throng  around  the  carriage.  The  handsome  appear- 
ance of  the  carriage  and  the  comely  dress  of  the  speakers 
commanded  respect,  but  what  did  more  to  hold  attention 
was  the  vigorous,  practical  talking.  No  one  spoke  very 
long,  and  there  was  plenty  of  good  singing." 

Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon,  in  an  address  upon  the  campaign,  thus 
referred  to  this  agency :  "  There  have  been  two  gospel 
wagons  going  about  in  different  parts  of  the  city  dispens- 
ing the  Word  of  life  to  such  as  may  be  induced  to  stop 
and  listen,  and  the  workers  estimate  that  1000  or  more  are 
thus  reached  daily  of  those  who  would  not  enter  a  church 
or  mission  hall.  As  I  saw  them  one  morning,  they  came 
up  with  a  large  furniture  wagon,  on  which  was  a  great 
placard  bearing  the  words,  '  Can  the  drunkard  be  saved  ? ' 
Thus  taking  the  most  radical  methods,  the  evangelists 
went  about  through  the  street  attracting  the  gaze  of  the 
people.  One  of  the  workers  took  his  stand  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  company  of  roughs  and  drunkards,  and  as  they 
looked  they  said,  l  What  next  ? '  Well,  a  great  many  of 
them  came  that  night  to  find  out  if  they  could  be  saved." 

The  gospel  wagon  proved  a  good  testing-place  for  speak- 
ers. If  they  could  succeed  there  they  could  probably 
get  along  in  other  services.  An  eminent  preacher  from 
a  Southern  State,  whose  ministry  had  been  confined  to  a 
large  and  fashionable  congregation,  one  day  ran  the  gaunt- 
let of  the  street  crowds  on  the  gospel  wagon,  preaching 
four  sermons  from  that  wheeled  pulpit.  Speaking  of  that 
trip  afterward,  he  said :  "  I  have  had  a  new  experience  to- 
day, in  preaching  to  crowds  of  rough,  dissolute,  hardened 
men  on  the  streets.  I,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  a 
daintily  carved  pulpit,  where  the  light  came  through 
stained  glass  windows,  and  where  everything  pleased  the 


WITH  TSE  GOSPEL    WAGON  155 

senses.  I  realized  to-day,  as  never  before,  how  Jesus  must 
have  felt  as  he  preached  to  just  such  crowds  of  lost, 
wretched  souls." 

Another  visitor  who  accompanied  the  gospel  wagon  one 
evening  to  a  section  of  the  city  known  as  "  Little  Hell," 
on  account  of  the  fearful  vileness,  wickedness,  and  crime 
abounding  there,  says  he  was  delighted  to  see  even  there 
"  hundreds  of  orderly  men  and  women  with  a  host  of  little 
children  gathered  as  close  as  they  could  crowd  around  the 
rear  of  the  wagon,  from  which  the  platform  is  extended 
for  the  organ  and  speakers  and  leader  of  the  singing,  who 
only  had  to  start  some  f amiliar  gospel  h}Tnn  to  be  followed 
by  a  full  chorus  of  hundreds  of  voices,  most  of  them 
among  the  children,  evidently  with  Sunday-school  train- 
ing. So  well  did  the  little  ones  sing  that  when  they  came 
to  the  chorus  the  leader  requested  all  the  older  ones  to  be 
silent  and  let  the  children  sing  the  sweet  words  over  and 
over  again.  As  they  did  so,  at  the  top  .of  their  childish 
voices,  the  well-known  gong  of  the  police-patrol  wagon 
was  heard  ringing  for  its  approach  as  the  horses  came  at 
full  speed,  as  the  fire-engines  go  rushing  along  to  a  fire, 
but  the  crowd  left  room  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street, 
and  the  officers  only  checked  their  speed,  without  paus- 
ing, and  passed  by  without  molesting  the  meeting.  Later 
on  a  policeman  joined  the  audience  and  listened  with  the 
others." 

One  afternoon  Mr.  Moody  mounted  the  gospel  wagon 
and  took  command  of  what  may  appropriately  be  called 
the  flying  artillery  of  the  evangelistic  forces.  His  object 
evidently  was  to  test  that  arm  of  the  service.  At  his 
direction  the  wagon  was  driven  through  various  sections 
of  the  city,  and  not  less  than  ten  different  meetings  were 
held  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours.  When  a  suitable  place 
was  reached  the  singers  rang  out  a  gospel  song,  then  Mr. 


156  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Moody  set  the  way  of  salvation  before  the  gathering  crowd 
in  a  five-minute  address,  gave  them  a  cheery  invitation  to 
come  to  the  evening  service  in  the  Standard  Theater,  then 
moved  on  to  another  place,  where  the  same  course  was 
pursued,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  flying  march.  The 
experiment  helped  to  confirm  Mr.  Moody  in  the  convic- 
tion that  the  summer  months  offer  the  best  opportunity 
to  evangelize  the  cities,  because  at  that  season  all  classes, 
conditions,  and  beliefs  can  be  reached  in  the  open  air,  at 
their  own  doors,  and  the  good  news  of  salvation  can  be 
lovingly  proclaimed  in  song  and  speech,  and  left  to  do  its 
work.  The  gospel  can  thus  be  brought  to  many  who  need 
it  most,  and  would  probably  not  otherwise  hear  it,  and 
many  would  be  induced  to  accept  the  invitation  to  attend 
evening  services  in  tents,  theaters,  halls,  or  churches. 

One  evening  while  the  Scotch  evangelist,  W.  Robertson 
of  Edinburgh,  was  addressing  a  crowd  of  about  400  people 
from  the  platform  of  the  gospel  wagon,  a  tall,  strong  young 
working-man  managed  to  creep  beneath  it  for  the  purpose 
of  overturning  it.  But  the  Spirit  of  God  applied  the 
word  to  his  heart,  so  that  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  he 
was  under  deep  conviction  and  anxious  to  be  saved.  Tak- 
ing him  into  the  wagon,  the  evangelists  dealt  faithfully 
with  him  as  they  drove  along;  and  while  the  following 
meeting  was  going  on  he  cried  for  mercy  and  cast  himself 
upon  Christ  for  salvation.  The  following  evening  he  was 
again  present  at  the  meeting,  resting  in  the  love  of  Jesus. 

At  the  same  service,  when  those  who  desired  the  prayers 
of  God's  people  were  requested  to  raise  their  hands,  some 
persons  responded  in  mockery  and  ridicule.  Evangelist 
Davis  warned  them  that  although  they  might  deceive  him, 
they  could  not  deceive  God,  and  it  was  a  solemn  and  awful 
thing  to  mock  him.  The  rebuke  was  effective.  A  gentle- 
man accompanied  by  a  lady  took  off  his  hat  and  raised  his 


WITH   THE   GOSPEL    WAGON  157 

hand  for  prayers.  Two  young  men  on  the  sidewalk  had 
united  in  ridiculing  the  work  all  the  evening.  After  a 
while,  in  response  to  the  evangelist's  appeal,  one  of  them 
raised  his  hand ;  his  companion  took  hold  of  his  arm  to 
draw  him  away,  but  in  vain,  and  he  finally  left  him  and 
went  away.  Returning  after  a  while,  he  again  tried  to 
take  him  off,  with  like  result,  and  betook  himself  away. 
"  You'll  have  no  trouble  to  get  rid  of  your  evil  compan- 
ions," was  Mr.  Davis's  pertinent  comment  upon  the  action. 
The  onlooking  multitude  had  thus  before  their  eyes,  on 
the  open  streets,  successive  object-lessons  on  the  working 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  sinner's  heart. 

At  the  close  of  another  meeting  a  young  man,  a  visitor 
from  New  York,  rushed  forward,  grasping  Mr.  Davis's 
hand,  sobbing  and  crying  out,  "I  do  want  to  be  saved. 
I  want  to  become  a  Christian."  After  a  season  of  instruc- 
tion and  prayer  the  evangelists  had  the  joy  of  seeing  the 
convicted  soul  accept  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE. 

THE  Chicago  Bible  Institute  was  the  headquarters  and 
central  rallying-place  of  the  working-forces  by  whom  the 
World's  Fair  Evangelistic  meetings  were  carried  on.  Mr. 
Moody  has  repeatedly  declared  that  the  Institute  not  only 
played  a  very  important  part  in  the  work,  but  that  it  was 
essential  to  its  success.  In  his  address  at  the  farewell 
meeting  he  said :  "  Little  did  we  think,  when  we  were 
praying,  three  or  four  years  ago,  to  have  a  Bible  Institute 
right  close  to  this  church,  that  we  would  have  such  an 
opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  world  as  we  have 
had  during  the  last  six  months.  We  would  not  have  been 
able  to  do  the  work  we  have  done  during  these  past 
months  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  Institute,  with  its  300 
workers  gathered  from  every  part  of  the  country.  When- 
ever we  have  started  the  work  at  any  point  we  have  had 
force  enough  to  go  right  on  with  it.  I  think  it  would 
have  been  utterly  impossible  to  have  carried  on  this  work 
without  the  Bible  Institute  to  draw  upon.  Perhaps  God 
raised  it  up  for  this  very  time,  as  Esther  was  raised  up 
for  the  time  of  her  people's  peril  and  need." 

Seeing  that  this  institution  has  stood  in  such  vital  re- 
lations with  the  whole  evangelistic  movement  in  Chicago, 
some  knowledge  of  its  history  and  character  is  desirable 
in  this  connection.  It  was  evidently  born  and  ripened  in 
the  thought  of  Mr.  Moody  during  his  experience  and  ob- 

158 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  159 

serrations  in  the  fields  of  evangelism,  as  year  by  year  lie 
came  in  contact  with  the  crying  needs  of  the  working- 
classes,  the  poor  and  the  outcast,  and  the  spiritual  dearth 
in  the  great  cities.  He  saw  that  a  most  blessed  work 
could  be  done  by  men  and  women  with  knowledge  and 
love  of  the  Bible,  and  trained  ability  to  use  it  in  bringing 
others  to  Christ.  The  schools  were  not  preparing  such 
workers  to  meet  the  need.  There  was  a  call  for  an  insti- 
tution to  offer  the  help  which  many  consecrated  but  un- 
trained young  Christians  desired. 

The  first  step  was  to  hold  an  institute  in  the  Chicago 
Avenue  Church,  as  an  experiment  and  a  test.  Another 
and  another  followed,  lasting  from  a  few  weeks  up  to 
three  months,  with  surprisingly  large  attendance  and  en- 
couraging results.  The  next  step  was  an  arrangement  for 
organization  of  the  work  on  a  permanent  basis.  Land 
adjoining  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church  was  purchased,  with 
buildings,  which  were  fitted  up  for  a  Ladies'  Department, 
and  a  building  for  the  Men's  Department  was  erected. 
At  present  there  are  accommodations  in  the  buildings  for 
over  300  students.  The  Institute  began  its  regular  work 
in  October,  1889.  The  men's  building  was  opened  nearly 
four  months  later.  From  that  time  the  work  of  the  school 
has  gone  on  without  ceasing,  with  ever-increasing  success 
and  blessing. 

The  object  which  the  Institute  has  set  before  it  is  con- 
cisely stated  in  the  following  terms : 

"  There  is  a  great  and  increasing  demand  for  men  and 
women  skilled  in  the  knowledge  and  use  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  familiar  with  aggressive  methods  of  work,  to 
act  as  pastors'  assistants,  city  missionaries,  general  mis- 
sionaries, Sunday-school  missionaries,  evangelists,  Bible 
readers,  superintendents  of  institutions,  and  in  various 
other  fields  of  Christian  labor,  at  home  and  abroad.  All 


160  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

i 

over  the  land  are  those  who  would,  with  a  little  well- 
directed  study,  become  efficient  workers  in  these  fields. 
There  are  also  many  men  called  of  God  into  Christian 
work  at  too  late  a  period  of  life  to  take  a  regular  college 
and  seminary  course,  but  who  would,  with  such  an  oppor- 
tunity of  study  as  the  Institute  affords,  be  qualified  for 
great  usefulness.  There  is  a  third  class :  persons  who  do 
not  intend  to  devote  their  entire  time  to  gospel  work,  but 
who  desire  a  larger  acquaintance  with  the  Bible  and  meth- 
ods of  Christian  effort,  that  while  pursuing  their  secular 
callings  they  may  also  work,  intelligently  and  successfully, 
in  winning  men  to  Christ.  The  object  of  the  Institute  is 
to  meet  the  needs  of  these  several  classes.  Besides  these, 
many  ministers  and  theological  students,  who  have  en- 
joyed the  advantages  of  the  regular  training,  have  spent 
their  vacations  with  us,  getting  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
English  Bible,  and  how  to  use  it  in  personal  work,  and 
a  larger  experience  in  aggressive  methods  of  Christian 
service. 

"  The  Bible  Institute  aims  to  send  out  men  and  women 
having  six  characteristics :  thorough  consecration ;  intense 
love  for  souls;  a  good  knowledge  of  God's  Word,  and 
especially  how  to  use  it  in  leading  men  to  Christ ;  willing- 
ness to  '  endure  hardness  as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ ' ; 
untiring  energy ;  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

"  One  great  purpose  we  have  in  view  in  the  Bible  Insti- 
tute," says  Mr.  Moody,  "  is  to  raise  up  men  and  women 
who  will  be  willing  to  lay  their  lives  alongside  of  the 
laboring-class  and  the  poor,  and  bring  the  gospel  to  bear 
upon  their  lives." 

The  method  of  training  is  such  as  to  realize  most  as- 
suredly the  object  of  the  Institute.  Study  and  work  are 
happily  combined.  Theory  and  practice  go  together.  A 
portion  of  several  days  each  week  is  devoted  to  actual 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  161 

work  in  homes,  cottage  meetings,  missions,  tent  meetings, 
and  inquiry  meetings,  children's  meetings,  and  industrial 
schools,  the  object  being  to  teach  students  not  only  the 
theory  of  work,  but  also  the  work  itself.  The  course  of 
study  includes :  a  comprehensive,  systematic  study  of  Bible 
doctrine ;  a  general  survey  of  all  the  books  of  the  Bible ; 
a  close,  analytical  study  of  many  books  of  the  Bible ;  a 
thorough  study  of  methods  of  winning  men  to  Christ  and 
building  them  up  in  Christian  character;  a  careful  and 
comprehensive  study  of  all  the  different  classes  of  persons 
that  a  Christian  worker  is  likely  to  meet,  and  the  Scrip- 
ture to  use  in  dealing  with  them ;  a  careful  study  of  vocal 
and  instrumental  music ;  and  a  development  and  deepen- 
ing of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  student.  Great  emphasis 
is  laid  upon  the  latter. 

The  visitor  who  enters  the  Institute  for  a  week's  obser- 
vation of  its  course  of  procedure  and  daily  life  will  find 
something  like  the  following:  Monday  is  the  free-and- 
easy  day  which  the  "  boys "  and  "  girls "  call  their  rest 
day,  when  the  usual  daily  order  of  study  and  work  is  laid 
aside.  This  Monday  rest  is  needed  the  more  because  Sun- 
day is  always  a  time  of  service  for  the  workers,  and  to 
some  the  busiest  day  of  the  seven.  If  the  visitor  is  in 
the  Men's  Department  he  will  be  ready  for  breakfast  on 
Tuesday  morning  at  seven  o'clock.  At  eight  o'clock  he 
will  meet  all  the  students  in  the  prayer-room,  where  half 
an  hour  is  devoted  to  praise  and  prayer.  At  nine  o'clock 
both  departments  will  assemble  in  the  chapel  to  hear  a 
Bible  lecture,  or  to  engage  in  class-room  work,  to  which 
one  hour  is  given.  From  ten  to  eleven  o'clock  is  occupied 
in  the  study  and  practice  of  music,  and  lecture  or  class- 
room work  fills  the  hour  from  eleven  to  twelve.  At  half- 
past  twelve  the  visitor  will  be  one  of  a  crowd  of  hungry, 
hearty  eaters  at  the  dining-room  tables.  During  the  evan- 


162  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

gelistic  campaign  the  dinner  hour  was  sometimes  pushed 
out  to  half-past  one,  on  account  of  the  noontide  meetings 
in  the  Central  Music  Hall.  In  the  afternoon  the  visitor 
will  find  the  students  engaged  in  their  various  studies ;  or 
going  from  house  to  house  of  certain  districts,  in  course 
of  family  visitation,  where  some  of  the  best  work  is  often 
done ;  or  taking  some  part  in  children's  meetings  and  ser- 
vices of  a  similar  character.  Supper  at  half-past  five  is 
followed  immediately  by  another  prayer-meeting  at  six 
o'clock.  Then  the  workers  are  sent  out  in  detachments 
to  various  mission  meetings,  numbering  from  fifteen  to 
twenty,  which  are  held  all  the  way  from  seven-thirty  to 
twelve  o'clock  at  night.  Of  course  all  do  not  stay  from 
half -past  seven  to  twelve,  but  two  different  classes  of 
workers  are  engaged.  The  program  for  every  other  day 
of  the  week  is  practically  the  same  as  that  of  Tuesday, 
with  frequent  evangelistic  or  other  special  services  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  all  bearing  upon  the  one  great  object  of  the 
school. 

THE  LADIES'  DEPARTMENT  of  the  Bible  Institute,  while 
it  is  a  part  of  the  Institution — the  "  better  half  " — and  in 
study  and  work  is  one  with  the  other  department,  yet  oc- 
cupies separate  buildings,  and  has  a  distinct  family  life  of 
its  own.  The  well-behaved  visitor  who  is  so  happy  as 
to  be  received  into  the  gracious  hospitality  of  this  house 
on  a  Saturday  evening  will  have  a  little  more  time  for 
a  morning  nap  than  he  would  have  in  the  Men's  Depart- 
ment. He  will  appear  promptly  at  eight  o'clock  in  one  of 
the  four  dining-rooms  for  breakfast.  Immediately  after 
breakfast,  not  on  Sunday  only,  but  every  day  of  the  seven, 
he  will  enjoy  a  sweet  season  of  devotion  in  the  chapel, 
with  song,  Bible  reading,  exposition,  and  prayer,  conducted 
either  by  the  superintendent,  her  assistant,  or  some  one 
designated  by  her.  At  nine  o'clock  four  of  the  students 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  163 

set  out  to  conduct  a  morning  service  in  the  jail,  and  two 
others  go  to  work  in  mission  meetings.  The  rest  of  the 
students  attend  the  services  of  various  churches,  accord- 
ing to  their  own  preferences.  Some  of  them  have  made 
it  a  part  of  their  volunteer  service  to  go  out  into  "the 
highways  and  hedges,"  and  with  loving  persuasion  "  com- 
pel "  others  "  to  come  in  "  who  would  not  otherwise  attend 
church. 

Immediately  after  the  dinner  hour  four  or  five  of  the 
ladies  go  to  teach  in  a  Chinese  Sunday-school.  During 
the  afternoon  nearly  all  the  students  are  engaged  in  some 
department  of  Sunday-school  work,  while  some  go  on  er- 
rands of  love  and  mercy  to  the  hospitals  to  read  the  Bible 
to  the  sick;  others  to  hold  religious  services  in  houses 
where  the  sick,  the  aged,  and  the  infirm  cannot  go  out  to 
church.  In  this  work  they  have  been  greatly  blessed,  and 
no  wonder,  for  it  is  just  such  work  as  makes  glad  the 
tender  heart  of  the  Son  of  God.  Still  other  two  students 
conduct  services  in  two  Homes  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association.  In  the  early  evening  two  services 
are  held  in  two  of  the  police  stations  for  the  benefit  of  the 
police  officers,  two  workers  being  assigned  to  each. 

Daily  evening  devotions  are  conducted  in  turn  by  the 
students,  who  are  expected  to  give  a  brief  exposition  of 
some  portion  of  Scripture,  and  offer  prayer.  This  service 
takes  place  in  the  dining-rooms,  immediately  after  supper. 
For  Sunday  and  Wednesday  evenings  a  certain  topic  is 
previously  given,  on  which  each  student  is  expected  to 
contribute  some  lines  of  poetry  for  the  Sunday  evenings, 
and  texts  of  Scripture  on  Wednesday  evenings. 

City  missionary  work  is  constantly  being  carried  on, 
and  not  less  than  fifteen  different  missions,  in  various 
parts  of  the  city,  are  receiving  the  benefit  of  the  labors  of 
these  lady  workers. 


164  WORLD'S  FAIR    CAMPAIGN 

On  Monday  morning,  which  is  the  rest  day  for  the  In- 
stitute, the  work  of  each  student  is  arranged  for  the  entire 
week,  affording  ample  time  and  opportunity  for  necessary 
special  preparation.  As  an  illustration  of  such  assign- 
ment of  a  week's  work  for  the  individual  students  we  take 
the  case  of  Miss  B.,  who  on  Monday  morning  faces  the 
following  program :  "  Tuesday  afternoon,  conduct  a  chil- 
dren's meeting  on  Larrabee  Street.  Wednesday  evening, 
attend  a  gospel  meeting  at  Institute  Hall.  Thursday  after- 
noon, street  visitation.  Friday  evening,  cottage  meeting 
on  the  street.  Saturday  evening,  home  prayer-meeting." 
This  program,  of  course,  takes  no  account  of  the  regular 
daily  Bible  and  music  studies  of  the  Institute,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made,  and  which  the  students 
in  both  departments  share  alike. 

The  Ladies'  Department  is  under  the  superintendency 
of  Mrs.  S.  B.  Capron,  well  and  widely  known  as  one  of 
the  missionary  heroines  of  India,  where  she  labored  for 
thirty  years  with  singular  ability,  devotion,  and  success. 
She  came  to  the  Institute  enriched  with  the  unpurchasable 
treasures  of  experience,  thoroughly  equipped  in  every  re- 
spect for  the  place  and  the  work  that  awaited  her.  After 
having  been  permitted  to  share  the  family  lif e  of  this  de- 
partment of  the  Institute  for  several  months  during  the 
evangelistic  campaign,  the  writer  has  observed  with  grow- 
ing admiration  and  satisfaction  the  admirable  training 
and  most  gracious  atmosphere  and  influence  which  are 
there  enjoyed.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  young  ladies 
of  the  Institute  take  their  part  in  street  work,  house-to- 
house  visitation,  conducting  services  in  police  stations, 
halls,  tents,  and  homes,  coming  in  contact  with  the  rough 
side  of  life,  and  all  that,  the  anxious  question  has  some- 
times been  asked,  What  is  the  effect  of  all  this  training 
upon  them!  Does  it  not  make  them  bold,  coarse,  rude, 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  1G5 

unwomanly  ?  The  answer  is,  It  seems  to  work  just  the 
other  way.  It  seems  to  the  writer  that  the  gracious  woman 
who  presides  over  the  household,  with  her  clear  head,  her 
gentle,  tactful,  firm  hand,  her  great,  warm  mother-heart, 
her  fulness  of  the  divine  life,  is  herself  the  corrective  of 
any  such  tendency,  if  it  exists,  and  the  security  against  it. 
The  atmosphere  in  which  this  Institute  life  and  activity 
unfold  themselves  is  too  pure  and  vital  for  such  evil  germs 
to  develop.  There  is  here  no  encouragement  for  anything 
to  grow  save  that  which  is  true  and  pure  and  of  good 
report.  An  English  writer,  referring  to  the  department 
"  under  the  very  genial  and  capable  management  of  Mrs. 
Capron,"  says :  "  She  is  a  veritable  mother  in  Israel,  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  term,  and  all  who  come  under  her 
holy,  kindly  influence  treasure  it  up  as  a  very  blessed 
memory  when  the  calls  to  work  in  many  fields  necessitate 
the  divergence  of  their  paths.  She  also  conducts  a  weekly 
mothers'  meeting,  attended  by  some  hundreds  of  women, 
a  vast  number  of  whom  can  testify  to  the  blessing  God 
had  wrought  in  their  lives  tlirough  her  teaching."  It  is 
a  rare  privilege  to  listen  to  Mrs.  Capron's  expositions  and 
application  of  the  Word  of  God  in  the  daily  morning  hour 
of  devotion,  in  her  Bible-class,  and  various  other  meetings 
that  she  conducts.  Here  she  gives  free  play  to  her  keen 
insight  of  truth  and  lif  e,  her  deep  knowledge  of  Scripture 
in  its  interior,  spiritual  significance,  happily  combining 
the  wisdom  of  one  taught  in  the  school  of  experience 
and  the  spiritual  discernment  of  one  deeply  taught  by 
the  Spirit  of  God.  Many  a  devoted  worker  now  in  the 
field,  and  many  preparing  to  go  from  this  Institute,  will 
never  cease  to  be  grateful  to  God  for  the  ministry  of  Mrs. 
Capron  in  the  training  for  their  life-work. 

The  following  additional  facts  pertaining  to  the  life  and 
work  of  the  Ladies'  Department  have  been  furnished  in 


166  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

answer  to  a  series  of  questions  from  the  writer,  by  tlie 
hand  of  Mrs.  Capron : 

"  Concerning  the  street  work  of  the  students  it  should 
be  said  that  it  is  our  custom  to  assign  a  certain  section  of 
some  street  of  the  city  to  an  individual  student ;  but  two 
students  usually  go  together  in  the  work  of  visitation. 
Many  a  woman  is  found  by  these  visitors  hidden  away  in 
the  midst  of  household  cares,  neglecting  church  and  losing 
all  care  for  better  things.  Such  visits  are  greatly  blessed. 
These  mothers  in  the  midst  of  their  cares  are  encouraged 
to  come  to  the  Wednesday  mothers'  meeting  held  in  the 
church  adjoining  the  Institute.  They  can  bring  all  their 
little  ones,  as  these  are  cared  for  in  the  kindergarten 
room  by  ladies  assigned  to  such  work.  There  the  weary 
mothers  have  a  restful  hour,  and  their  souls  are  wakened 
to  their  deepest  spiritual  needs.  Then  they  come  to  the 
Sunday  afternoon  Bible-class,  the  little  ones  being  taken 
to  the  primary  department  in  the  adjoining  rooms.  They 
will  then  be  inclined  to  attend  the  Sunday  evening  service 
of  the  church,  and  perhaps  their  husbands  will  join  them. 
Then  follows  the  Sunday  morning  service,  and  during  all 
this  the  street  visitor  is  doing  her  precious  work  in  the 
home,  leading  to  opening  the  room  for  a  cottage  meeting, 
it  may  be.  Finally,  we  see  these  mothers  enter  the  fold 
of  the  church.  This  is  the  history  of  many  a  woman  who 
to-day  says  from  a  full  heart :  '  I  do  not  know  where  I 
should  have  been  but  for  the  Institute  workers.' 

"  All  the  students  attend  the  classes  for  Bible  study  in 
the  morning.  Afternoons  and  evenings  are  devoted  to 
practical  work.  Those  who  are  out  in  the  afternoon  are 
expected  to  spend  the  evening  in  study,  and  evening  work- 
ers have  had  the  afternoon  unbroken  for  the  same  purpose. 
Afternoon  work  consists  in  house-to-house  visitation,  con- 
ducting children's  meetings,  women's  meetings,  and  calls 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  167 

for  Sunday-school  classes.  Evening  work  is  mainly  de- 
voted to  gospel  meetings  and  cottage  meetings. 

"  The  meeting  for  women,  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  is 
made  up  from  women  gathered  from  house  visitation, 
with  the  workers  on  those  streets,  who  are  there  to  wel- 
come them  and  introduce  them  to  others.  In  this  meeting 
a  simple  gospel  teaching  is  followed  by  various  testimo- 
nies from  those  women,  not  infrequently  taking  all  the 
allotted  time,  the  Institute  workers  being  delighted  listen- 
ers, especially  when  the  speaker  has  been  brought  from 
the  seclusion  of  an  unblessed  home.  Some  interesting 
meetings  were  the  result  of  Gospel  and  New  Testament 
distribution  during  the  World's  Fair  evangelistic  cam- 
paign. It  was  inspiring  to  see  how  the  giving  away  a 
copy  of  the  Gospel  opened  the  mouth  of  the  giver  to  speak 
some  word  of  tender  entreaty  to  accompany  the  gift. 

"  Five  police  stations  are  in  charge  of  our  workers,  who 
conduct  a  brief  service  of  singing,  exposition  of  Scripture, 
and  prayer,  once  a  week,  before  roll-call. 

"  The  sailors  are  not  forgotten  in  the  ministrations  of 
the  Institute.  Hospitals  also  have  their  welcome  visitors, 
and  the  children  their  special  services. 

"  Soul- winning  is  the  one  object  of  the  gospel  meetings. 
There  are  many  who  have  gone  out  to  their  life-work  pro- 
foundly grateful  for  the  privilege  of  having  been  in  the 
Bible  Institute,  where  they  were  enabled  to  obtain  a  clearer 
apprehension  of  the  indwelling  presence  and  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  a  practical  knowledge  of  how  to  use  the  Bible 
in  soul  work,  and  helpful  instruction  in  all  the  difficulties 
found  in  a  work  so  filled  with  mystery,  solemn  responsi- 
bility, and  inspiring  hope. 

"  In  all  the  various  services  of  the  evangelistic  campaign 
conducted  by  Mr.  Moody,  the  Woman's  Department  was 
well  represented.  The  Ladies'  Quartet  was  in  demand  at 


1G8  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

all  the  public  services,  in  theaters,  halls,  tents,  and  churches. 
Indeed,  all  who  could  sing  were  in  constant  employ.  In 
the  after-meetings  they  were  prompt,  ready,  and  service- 
able, and  abundantly  proved  the  value  of  their  training. 
The  Standard  Theater  meetings  furnished  many  instances 
of  conversions,  and  our  students  were  always  at  home  in 
the  work  carried  on  in  the  tents. 

"It  has  been  gratefully  acknowledged  that  woman's 
work  had  a  large  share  in  the  aggregate  of  the  six  months' 
campaign,  especially  in  the  song  services,  the  after-meet- 
ings, the  tent  work,  and  the  children's  meetings.  Miss 
B.  B.  Tyson  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  brought  her  invaluable 
aid  in  conducting  not  only  meetings  for  children,  in  tents 
and  halls,  but  her  audiences  on  Sundays,  composed  largely 
of  adults,  were  impressed  and  deeply  moved  by  her  clear, 
convincing  teaching  of  the  way  of  salvation,  and  many 
were  led  to  Christ — men,  women,  and  children.  The  value 
of  her  services  cannot  be  estimated.  Skilful  and  attractive 
as  is  her  blackboard  work,  beyond  that  is  the  power  within 
that  comes  only  from  the  consciousness  of  being  used  by 
God." 

In  answer  to  further  questions  concerning  the  training 
of  the  students  in  the  Institute,  the  following  has  been 
furnished  by  Miss  Emily  S.  Strong,  the  devoted  assistant 
superintendent,  who  thoroughly  understands  the  life  and 
work  of  the  school : 

"  The  training  of  the  students  is  by  no  means  limited 
to  the  Bible  study  or  the  practical  Christian  work,  though 
these  are  large  elements  in  it.  The  development  of  a  sym- 
metrical Christian  character,  the  '  coming  behind  in  no 
gift,'  is  the  aim  before  those  in  charge  for  each  student. 

"  The  home  is  intended  to  be  a  model  one  in  every  small- 
est detail.  Its  spiritual  atmosphere,  so  largely  made  and 
fostered  by  the  wise  and  beloved  mother  at  its  head,  is 


THE  CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  169 

felt  by  all  who  spend  any  time  here,  and  is  responsible  for 
changing  the  whole  current  of  many  a  life.  More  than 
one  has  come  hither  young  and  immature,  with  crude 
ideas  of  Christian  service,  and  little  knowledge  of  the  pos- 
sibilities wrapped  up  in  each  redeemed  soul,  who,  under  the 
influences  thrown  around  her,  has  gone  out  to  fill  a  place 
of  wide  influence  and  large  opportunity,  and  to  fill  it  well. 

"If  there  is  one  truth  above  all  others  which  is  em- 
phasized, it  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  Guide, 
Teacher,  and  indwelling  Friend,  whose  baptism  is  abso- 
lutely indispensable  to  fruitful  Christian  living  and  ser- 
vice. To  many  this  has  been  new  truth,  which  has  opened 
up  a  wide  field  for  study  and  meditation. 

"One  of  the  most  helpful  influences  of  the  home  life 
has  been  a  weekly  devotional  meeting  held  every  Saturday 
evening.  Here  the  work  for  the  past  week  is  freely  dis- 
cussed, and  the  students  come  into  closest  sympathy  with 
one  another. 

"  A  little  midday  service,  where  each  student  is  sent  out 
to  her  afternoon's  work  with  a  single  precious  thought 
from  God's  Word  and  a  prayer,  is  also  greatly  valued  by 
all  in  the  home. 

"  In  the  students  are  represented  every  class  of  society, 
from  those  who  have  had  every  advantage  of  education 
and  culture  to  those  who  can  only  claim  a  common-school 
education.  It  is  surprising  how  all  such  distinctions  are 
blended  in  a  common  family  life,  with  one  end  and  aim, 
all  '  one  in  Christ  Jesus.'  Many  come  to  us  directly  from 
their  school  life;  others  after  some  years  of  service,  in 
which  they  have  realized  their  great  need  of  more  know- 
ledge of  the  Bible  and  methods  of  work.  Some  enter 
with  very  definite  ideas  of  their  future  work.  To  others, 
the  development  of  soma  latent  gift  often  opens  a  field  of 
labor  uii thought  of  before. 


170  WORLDS  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

"  Almost  every  State  in  the  Union  has  had  its  represen- 
tative here,  and  so  each  Protestant  denomination.  Since 
the  Institute  opened  thirty-one  women,  or  one  out  of  every 
eleven,  have  entered  the  foreign  work.  Quite  a  number 
of  returned  missionaries  also  have  been  here,  delighted 
with  the  opportunities  for  Bible  study  here  afforded." 

The  Bible  Institute  began  its  work  under  the  superiu- 
tendency  of  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey,  a  man  preeminently  en- 
dowed and  trained  for  the  position,  who  still  holds  his 
place  at  its  head.  Under  his  capable  hand,  cooperating 
with  its  president,  D.  L.  Moody,  the  Institute  has  been 
guided  and  developed  along  a  course  of  phenomenal  suc- 
cess, facing  a  future  full  of  untold  possibilities  and  prom- 
ise. It  has  fairly  won  its  distinguished  place  at  the  front 
of  Christian  training-schools,  standing  out  among  all  other 
institutions  with  a  distinct,  strong  individuality — a  pow- 
erful Christian  agency  "  come  to  the  kingdom  for  such  a 
time  as  this."  Its  brief  history  is  a  veritable  romance  of 
religious  life  and  activity.  It  is  the  joy  and  delight  of 
Mr.  Moody's  heart,  for  it  is  a  power  that  works  mightily 
for  the  highest  ends  of  life,  character,  and  destiny,  to 
which  his  own  life  has  been  consecrated  for  years.  In 
Mr.  Torrey  he  has  found  a  man  after  his  own  heart,  who 
has  thus  far  met  every  demand  and  responsibility  of  his 
position  with  the  capacity  and  power  of  one  called  and 
anointed  for  his  work.  What  Mr.  Torrey  himself  thinks 
of  the  work  in  which  he  is  engaged  will  appear  from  his 
answer  to  a  question,  when  he  said :  "As  to  the  Institute, 
I  believe  that  there  are  few  organizations  on  earth  that 
will  accomplish  for  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  coming 
generation  what  this  Institute  will,  in  the  way  of  winning 
souls,  promoting  Bible  study,  and  increasing  the  spiritual- 
ity of  the  Church.  I  consider  myself  one  of  the  happiest, 


THE  CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  171 

if  not  the  happiest,  of  men,  because  of  the  privilege  of 
being  superintendent  of  the  Institute." 

During  the  World's  Fair  the  Bible  Institute,  as  the  radi- 
ating center  of  the  evangelistic  movement  then  in  pro- 
gress, has  been  much  observed  and  studied  by  thousands 
of  Christian  people,  as  a  kind  of  Columbian  exhibit  of 
practical  Christianity  and  gospel  preaching  and  work  for 
the  masses.  They  have  seen  there  in  the  masterly  organ- 
ization, with  its  song  services,  Bible  teaching,  and  multi- 
form Christian  activities,  a  great  object-lesson  in  aggres- 
sive work  for  Christ  well  worthy  of  their  attention  and 
study. 

Nearly  a  year  before  the  opening  of  the  World's  Fair 
arrangements  were  made  by  the  London  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute, in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Moody,  who  was  then  in 
England,  to  organize  a  series  of  excursions  to  bring  some 
fourteen  hundred  tourists  to  Chicago  to  see  the  Fair,  who 
should  have  their  home  during  their  sojourn  in  the  Bible 
Institute.  This  British  host  came  on  in  detachments  of 
one  hundred  each,  following  each  other  at  intervals  of  a 
week.  Thus  while  the  primary  object  of  these  working- 
men  was  to  visit  the  Fair,  they  had  their  headquarters 
amidst  the  best  Christian  influences  and  associations,  and 
were  brought  in  contact  with  an  aggressive,  religious, 
evangelistic  life  which  could  not  fail  to  make  its  salutary 
impression. 

But  to  no  other  class  of  visitors  did  their  sojourn  in 
the  Institute  mean  more  than  to  the  teachers,  preachers, 
evangelists,  and  other  Christian  workers  who  came  and 
went  during  the  six  months'  campaign.  In  addition  to 
the  many  of  this  class  who  availed  themselves  of  the  sum- 
mer's opportunity  to  study  the  Bible  and  prevalent  meth- 
ods of  Christian  work,  Mr.  Moody  offered  to  entertain  as 


172  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

his  guests  at  the  Institute  the  principals  and  teachers  of 
his  Northfield  and  Mount  Hermon  schools,  to  the  number 
of  about  sixty. 

It  is  worthy  of  grateful  record  that  even  a  single  day's 
careful  study  of  the  work  and  absorption  of  the  spirit 
and  life  of  the  Bible  Institute  has  been  to  some  visiting 
ministers  and  teachers  a  revelation  of  possibilities  in  the 
direction  of  personal  qualification  and  of  aggressive  Chris- 
tian effort  that  will  revolutionize  their  whole  lives  in  the 
service  of  God.  They  have  there  seen,  not  beautiful  theo- 
ries and  impossible  ideals,  but  actual  performance  and 
realization.  They  have  caught  the  inspiration  of  trium- 
phant faith  and  courage,  and  have  been  enabled  to  go 
forth  with  the  conviction  that  God  is  sufficient  for  all 
things,  and  that  "  what  man  has  done,  man  can  do." 

The  impression  made  upon  the  minds  of.  veteran  preach- 
ers by  the  Institute  is  indicated  in  such  testimonies  as 
the  following :  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon,  the  eminent  preacher  of 
Boston,  in  an  address  at  Northfield,  said,  speaking  of  the 
evangelistic  campaign :  "  Then  the  Institute  work,  I  need 
hardly  say,  is  the  center  of  it  all.  I  want  to  speak  of  this 
specially,  for  I  was  there  giving  Bible  lectures  each  morn- 
ing at  nine  o'clock.  What  surprised  me  in  connection 
with  that  work  was  especially  this :  that  room  was  filled  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  every  day  I  was  there ;  and 
mechanics,  blacksmiths,  and  farmers  were  present  in  order 
to  get  the  help  for  carrying  on  the  work  in  the  towns  of 
the  West  from  which  they  came.  There  were  quite  a  large 
number  of  theological  students  present  also,  who  had  come 
to  spend  their  vacations  and  take  the  lectures.  I  found 
not  a  few  of  returned  missionaries  present,  and  quite  a 
number  of  pastors  from  different  parts  of  the  country 
who  had  come  for  the  lectures,  so  we  had  from  350  to  400 
listeners  in  the  class-room  of  all  these  great  varieties  of 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  173 

attendants.  Well,  these  men  were  frank  enough  to  say : 
'  This  is  just  what  we  want ;  we  have  had  the  minute  study 
of  Greek  and  Hebrew,  but  we  want  more  biblical  study. 
During  July  there  were  thirty-six  preachers,  evangelists, 
and  singers  and  other  agents  cooperating  in  the  work,  and 
their  labors  were  supplemented  by  an  endless  variety  of 
house-to-house  and  highway-and-hedge  effort  by  the  two 
hundred  and  fifty  students  in  residence  in  the  Institute." 

Evangelist  Henry  Varley  of  London,  known  and  hon- 
ored throughout  the  Christian  world,  writes  to  a  London 
paper  from  Chicago  :  "  The  great  central  building  where 
we  all  live  and  rally  is  the  Bible  Institute.  I  question 
whether  the  energy,  ability,  devotedness,  and  unity  of 
hearts  which  exist  here  have  ever  been  exceeded.  As  the 
waters  in  Ezekiel's  vision  flowed  out,  so  here  literally  truth, 
zeal,  and  energy  for  God  and  man  pour  forth  from  nigh 
two  hundred  living  springs.  The  impress  of  the  beloved 
leader  marks  the  majority  of  the  students,  and  Mr.  Moody 
appears  to  have  engraved,  under  God,  upon  these  young 
men  and  women  who  for  more  than  four  months  have 
earned  on  this  great  and  holy  war,  the  motto,  '  Out  and 
out  for  Christ.'  What  a  training  for  the  gospel  minis- 
try!" 

Mr.  George  E.  Morgan,  of  the  London  Christian,  after 
mingling  with  the  students  and  entering  into  the  lif e  of 
the  Institute,  wrote  to  his  paper :  "  One  splendid  charac- 
teristic of  the  students  at  the  Bible  Institute  is  their  readi- 
ness to  go  at  the  word  of  command  into  church  or  slum, 
among  poor  or  well-to-do,  thieves  or  church-members,  just 
wherever,  at  a  moment's  notice,  they  may  be  required. 
And  a  finer  training  for  practical  gospel  work  at  home 
and  abroad  than  is  given  at  the  Institute  would  be  hard 
to  find." 

Rev.  Hugh  Montgomery,  an  able  minister  of  Belfast, 


174  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Ireland,  wrote  from  Chicago  to  the  Belfast  Witness  a  letter 
describing  the  evangelistic  work  and  the  Bible  Institute, 
referring  to  the  students  as  follows :  "  These  two  hundred 
and  twenty  young  people  are  nearly  all  actively  engaged 
in  working  up,  for,  and  in  the  meetings.  The  young  men 
distribute  cards  of  invitation,  visit  the  public-houses,  beer- 
gardens,  etc.,  etc.,  and  come  into  personal  contact  with 
the  very  class  which  the  special  services  are  intended  to 
reach.  The  young  ladies  sing  in  the  choir,  and  help  most 
efficiently  in  the  inquiry  meetings,  as  do  also  those  of  the 
young  men  who  are  not  otherwise  engaged.  Mr.  Moody 
has  also  a  mission  hall  open  nightly  in  the  neighborhood 
of  some  of  the  large  theaters.  A  number  of  the  students 
live  on  these  premises,  come  over  to  classes  at  the  Insti- 
tute daily,  and  then  return  to  the  hall  and  take  part  in 
the  meeting  which  is  held  there.  The  lowest  characters 
make  their  way  into  these  gatherings.  One  of  the  young 
men  who  stood  on  the  street  to  invite  and  urge  the  heed- 
less hurrying  crowd  to  come  in  was  an  Irishman.  The 
rebuffs  and  raillery  were  all  lost  on  him.  He  stood  bravely 
by  his  post,  and  gave  all  and  sundry  a  hearty  invitation 
to  the  meeting.  Gospel  work  in  Chicago  is  almost  liter- 
ally '  pulling  them  out  of  the  fire.'  Sometimes  a  consider- 
able part  of  an  audience  gathered  in  this  way  will  be 
under  the  influence  of  drink,  but,  thank  God,  these  brave 
young  men  'keep  pegging  away,'  and  their  fidelity  and 
courage  have  been  rewarded,  for  even  there  '  where  Satan's 
seat  is '  have  they  seen  that  the  gospel  is  God's  power  unto 
salvation.  In  the  Bible  Institute  there  are  about  twenty- 
five  young  Irishmen  in  training  for  Christian  service.  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  taking  part  in  the  good  work  with 
them,  and  of  seeing  the  opportunities  they  had  for  aggres- 
sive Christian  work.  "Will  not  those  who  read  these  lines 
pray  that  God  may  sustain  and  bless  his  servant  Mr. 


THE   CHICAGO  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  175 

Moody  ?  Those  who  can  help  Mm  by  their  gifts  will  con- 
tribute to  one  of  the  most  wisely  and  economically  man- 
aged institutions  in  America.  The  officers  of  the  Institute 
are  all  able  and  consecrated  men,  and  those  at  the  head  of 
the  Ladies'  Department  are  no  less  able  and  consecrated." 

As  an  illustration  of  how  the  leader  of  the  evangelistic 
movement  himself  set  an  example  of  such  service  to  the 
.students,  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon  mentioned  the  following  in  an 
address  on  the  campaign  :  "  One  thing  I  would  like  to  say 
in  Mr.  Moody's  absence.  I  think  it  is  a  true  test,  accord- 
ing to  Jesus  Christ  it  certainly  is,  of  spiritual  greatness, 
that  one  is  ready  to  take  any  place.  I  was  preaching  one 
night  in  a  hall  in  Chicago,  on  the  first  floor,  where  the 
people  could  flow  in  easily,  and  I  looked  through  the  open 
door  and  our  friend  Mr.  Moody  was  out  on  the  sidewalk 
pulling  men  in  while  I  was  preaching.  He  brought  them 
in  and  seated  them,  sometimes  taking  hold  of  them  and 
urging  them  with  considerable  energy  to  get  them  in; 
and  that  sort  of  service  of  pulling  men  out  of  the  fire  goes 
on  repeatedly  in  that  hall  among  the  crowd  of  people, 
until  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning."  [The  hall  re- 
ferred to  is  in  one  of  the  worst  places  in  the  city.] 

Rev.  Mr.  Torrey,  in  answer  to  a  question  concerning 
the  summer's  work,  said :  "  The  Institute  played  a  very 
important  part  in  the  evangelistic  campaign.  In  fact, 
Mr.  Moody  said  the  campaign  would  have  been  an  impos- 
sibility if  it  had  not  been  for  the  Institute.  If  he  had  to 
start  meetings  with  short  notice  in  any  part  of  the. city, 
the  Institute  made  it  possible  for  him  to  do  so  through 
the  various  students  in  a  few  moments.  The  printing  for 
the  work,  the  house-to-house  visitation,  the  singing,  the 
personal  work  in  the  after-meetings,  and  a  very  large  part 
of  the  preaching,  was  done  by  the  students  of  the  Insti- 
tute. The  campaign  was  the  experience  and  opportunity 


176  WOULD' S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

of  a  lifetime.     The  lives  and  work  of  all  of  us  who  had  a 
part  in  the  campaign  will  be  different  because  of  it." 

In  view  of  all  that  has  been  said,  it  is  not  surprising 
to  read  that  "  the  superintendent  is  in  constant  receipt  of 
requests  for  such  workers  as  are  sent  out  from  the  In- 
stitute. The  only  difficulty  is  to  find  men  to  supply  the 
places.  The  demand  so  far  exceeds  the  supply  that  men 
are  hurrying  to  the  work  without  adequate  preparation, 
to  the  detriment  of  their  whole  future  life  and  work." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    LAST    MONTH. 

IT  was  supposed  that  the  meetings  had  reached  high- 
water  mark  when  on  one  Sunday  in  September  about 
64,000  people,  in  70  different  assemblies,  listened  to  the 
Word  of  God.  It  could  hardly  be  expected  that  the  last 
month  .would  surpass,  or  even  equal,  the  more  favorable 
preceding  month.  It  was  therefore  with  great  joy  and 
thankfulness  that  the  still  increasing  interest  of  the  meet- 
ings was  observed.  The  second  Sunday  in  October  it  was 
reported  that  about  72,000  people  assembled  in  109  differ- 
ent meetings,  at  56  places  of  worship.  And  there  would 
have  been  still  more  meetings  if  there  had  been  more 
preachers  and  preaching-places  available. 

At  the  close  of  the  following  week  Mr.  Moody  said : 
"  We  have  to-day  everything  to  encourage  us,  and  nothing 
to  discourage  us.  This  has  been  by  far  the  best  week  we 
have  yet  had.  The  gospel  has  through  this  agency  been 
brought  to  150,000  people  during  the  week.  I  have  never 
seen  greater  eagerness  to  hear  the  Word  of  God.  The 
largest  halls  are  too  small  for  the  crowds  that  come  to 
many  of  the  services.  One  night,  for  instance,  on  my  way 
to  a  meeting  held  near  the  Fair  grounds,  I  beheld  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  sights  I  have  ever  seen  on  earth — that 
wonderful  display  of  fireworks  and  illuminations.  Tens 
of  thousands  of  people  gazed  upon  the  scene.  It  seemed 

177 


178  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

useless  to  expect  anybody  to  come  away  from  that  scene 
and  sit  down  in  a  tabernacle  to  hear  the  gospel.  But  the 
house  was  filled,  and  we  had  a  blessed  meeting.  The  fol- 
lowing nights,  though  cold  and  rainy,  with  a  damp,  un- 
comfortable room,  the  people  crowded  in  till  every  inch 
of  space  was  occupied. 

"  I  thank  God  that  I  am  living  in  Chicago  to-day.  These 
have  been  the  happiest  months  of  my  life.  What  a  work 
he  has  given  us  to  do !  What  encouragements  he  has 
given  us !  How  he  has  blessed  us  !  Probably  never  in 
your  life  will  some  of  you  have  an  opportunity  to  do  as 
much  for  Christ  as  now.  Improve  the  opportunity.  Help 
us  with  your  prayers,  your  efforts,  your  money.  We  are 
spending  now  about  $800  a  day  in  this  work,  and  could 
spend  $8,000  a  day  if  we  had  it.  We  are  getting  new 
places  for  meetings  as  fast  as  we  can.  We  want  to  press 
things  in  these  closing  days  of  the  World's  Fair  as  never 
before." 

Cheering  them  On. 

Deeply  impressed  with  the  greatness  of  the  opportunity 
and  the  responsibility  into  which  God's  providence  had 
opened  the  way,  Mr.  Moody's  soul  burned  to  make  the 
utmost  of  the  fast-flying  days  that  yet  remained.  He 
urged  his  hearers  everywhere  to  pray  and  labor  with  un- 
remitting diligence.  "  It  seems  as  if  we  had  only  been 
playing  the  past  weeks,"  he  said ;  "  now  we  are  going  to 
work.  We  have  just  been  fishing  a  little  along  the  shore ; 
now  we  are  going  to  launch  out  into  the  deep.  Friends, 
help  to  fill  up  the  churches.  Let  us  see  whether  we  can't 
wake  up  this  whole  city.  There  is  now  before  us  the 
grandest  opportunity  of  extending  the  kingdom  of  God 
that  this  country  has  ever  seen.  Hundreds  of  thousands 
of  people  will  come  in  during  these  last  weeks  of  the 


THE  LAST  MONTH  179 

World's  Fair.  It  is  possible  to  reach  them  with  the  gos- 
pel message.  We  want  to  get  still  more  buildings  for 
meetings  near  the  Fail*  grounds.  We'll  hire  all  the  thea- 
ters we  can  get.  I'll  use  all  the  money  you  give  me  to 
push  the  work.  Now  is  our  time  and  opportunity." 

On  several  occasions,  in  the  Music  Hall  and  theater 
meetings,  Mr.  Moody  called  for  reinforcements  to  take 
part  in  the  increasing  work  of  the  campaign.  But  he 
took  care  to  let  his  hearers  know  just  what  kind  of  work- 
ers he  was  looking  for.  "  We  want  more  helpers,"  said 
he.  "  If  there  are  any  Christian  young  men  under  thirty 
years  of  age  in  the  city,  with  good  credentials,  who  will 
apply,  we  will  give  them  work  to  do.  If  you  don't  like 
work,  don't  come.  We  don't  want  you.  We  want  an  army 
of  workers  to  press  this  battle  for  Christ  to  the  gate.  If 
you  come,  there  may  be  some  things  required  that  you 
don't  like  to  do.  If  you  are  not  ready  for  that,  don't  come. 
We've  got  to  go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and 
bring  the  people  in.  I've  got  done  building  churches  and 
waiting  for  people  to  come  and  fill  them.  What  we  want 
is  to  reach  the  people  that  don't  come — the  people  that 
don't  want  to  be  reached.  We  want  to  raise  up  workers 
who  will  go  for  the  people,  instead  of  sitting  down  in 
churches  waiting  for  them. 

"  Some  of  you  have  no  idea  of  what  is  going  on  and 
what  could  be  done.  If  I  had  fifty  more  good  preachers 
and  preaching-places,  they  could  all  be  used  to-day.  I 
would  to  God  we  had  five  hundred  earnest  Christian  work- 
ers in  the  Standard  Theater  alone  every  night.  Hundreds 
of  wretched,  lost,  despairing  men  could  there  be  reached 
by  such  workers  every  night.  Talk  as  you  will  about  a 
future  state  and  all  that,  I  believe  these  men  in  their  aw- 
ful condition  are  going  down  to  hell.  If  we  don't  rescue 
them  they  will  perish  forever.  It  is  a  question  of  life  or 


180 

death,  of  heaven  or  hell,  with  them  now,  and  a  few  brief 
days  will  settle  it.     We  have  no  time  to  lose." 

Words  to  Workers. 

Realizing  his  own  dependence  on  God,  Mr.  Moody  con- 
stantly emphasized  the  necessity  of  divine  help.  He  spoke 
again  and  again  upon  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with 
special  reference  to  efficiency  in  Christian  service.  On 
one  memorable  occasion  he  addressed  a  large  company  of 
preachers,  evangelists,  and  other  Christian  workers,  with 
subduing  power.  He  insisted  upon  the  indispensable  ne- 
cessity of  spiritual  power  as  a  qualification  for  the  worker, 
over  and  above  all  natural  and  acquired  gifts  and  graces. 
He  referred  to  his  own  experience,  and  said :  "  I  would 
rather  go  to  breaking  stones  on  the  road  than  to  go  into 
Christian  work  without  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 
He  deprecated  the  graceless,  powerless  efforts  of  men  to 
do  a  spiritual  work  without  spiritual  power. 

"  I  believe,"  he  said,  "  that  there  are  more  men  turned 
against  the  gospel  of  Christ  and  against  religion  by  work- 
ers who  are  trying  to  work  for  Christ  without  the  energy 
and  wisdom  of  the  Spirit  than  in  many  other  ways. 

"  There  is  no  work  on  earth  so  glorious  and  sweet,  so 
blessed  and  fruitful,  as  that  of  soul-saving.  I  believe  God 
wants  to  make  every  one  of  us  efficient  workers,  filled  with 
his  Spirit.  He  takes»no  pleasure  in  weakness,  emptiness, 
and  barrenness. 

"  When  men  are  filled  with  thetSpirit  they  will  be  ready 
for  any  work.  They  will  not  shirk  the  hard  places  and 
seek  their  own  ease  and  comfort.  They  will  not  put  the 
heaviest  burdens  upon  others,  but  will  hit  them  them- 
selves. I  know  some.men  that  I  don't  like  to  have  around 
me.  They  are  always  looking  for  an  easy  job.  They  are 


THE  LAST  MONTR  181 

good  for  nothing.  They  will  soon  be  out.  They  will  not 
be  wanted. 

"  We  must  never  forget  that  we  are  living  in  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  day  we  live  in  is  his 
day.  I  was  in  the  Church  ten  years  before  I  knew  any- 
thing especially  about  the  Holy  Spirit.  When  I  heard  a 
man  in  a  noon  meeting  say  that  the  Spirit  was  a  person, 
and  not  simply  an  influence,  I  thought  he  was  gone  daft. 
I  was  amazed  at  it.  But  I  took  my  Bible  and  read  all 
that  Christ  said  about  the  Spirit,  and  found  to  my  amaze- 
ment that  it  was  even  so.  There  is  much  of  this  ignorance 
still  prevalent.  We  must  know  the  Spirit  of  God  if  we 
would  do  the  work  of  God.  I  do  not  believe  we  can  ac- 
complish much  till  we  give  him  his  proper  place — give 
him  right  of  way. 

"  It  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  convict  men  of 
sin.  We  cannot  do  it  by  any  amount  of  rhetoric,  logic, 
eloquence,  or  human  power.  How  often  we  hear  of  a  man 
that  he  is  cultured,  learned,  eloquent,  persuasive,  attrac- 
tive, yet  the  people  are  not  convinced  and  converted  by 
his  ministry.  I  verily  believe  that  if  the  mighty  angel 
Gabriel,  who  stands  in  the  presence  of  God,  were  to  come 
down  from  heaven  into  our  churches,  with  every  hair  of 
his  head  blazing  with  the  glory  of  that  upper  world,  he 
could  not  convert  a  single  sinner.  Only  the  Spirit  of  God 
can  do  that,  and  he  does  it  through  the  truth  of  God, 
preached  by  men  filled  with  his  power. 

"  Without  the  love  of  God  no  worker  for  God  can  suc- 
ceed. It  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  impart  the  love  of 
God  to  the  convicted  heart.  You  cannot  work  yourself 
up  to  it.  You  cannot  manufacture  it.  Do  you  remember 
how  the  love  of  God  was  shed  abroad  in  your  heart  when 
you  were  converted  ?  I  see  some  of  you  smile.  Ah,  yes, 
you  remember  it.  So  do  I.  I  was  converted  in  a  shoe- 


182  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

store  in  Boston.  Every  time  I  go  to  Boston  I  go  there. 
It  is  still  a  shoe-store.  When  I  want  a  pair  of  boots  I 
get  them  there.  The  place  is  memorable  and  sacred.  I 
remember  when  I  went  out  of  the  store  that  day  after  my 
conversion  the  world  seemed  a  new  creation.  The  air 
was  sweet  and  full  of  song.  The  sun  lovingly  kissed  my 
cheek.  The  breeze  caressed  me.  Everything  seemed  new 
and  full  of  love.  Ah,  the  Spirit  of  God  had  shed  abroad 
his  love  in  my  heart  and  made  all  things  new  to  me. 

"  Without  a  spirit  of  hope  and  cheer  no  one  ever  accom- 
plishes much.  It  is  the  Spirit  that  imparts  hope.  One 
who  is  full  of  the  Spirit  is  full  of  hope  and  cheer.  If  you 
have  lost  hope  out  of  your  heart  you  had  better  get  out 
of  the  work,  for  you  will  only  spoil  it.  Or,  better  than 
that,  you  had  better  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  that  hope 
may  revive.  Cheer  up,  look  up,  lift  up  your  heads ! 

"  One  who  is  filled  with  the  Spirit  works  easily  and  with 
delight  for  the  Lord.  The  Spirit  of  God  alone  gives  that 
liberty  that  sets  free  all  the  powers  of  the  soul  for  the 
service  of  love.  Men  talk  about  overwork  in  the  Lord's 
service.  I  don't  believe  in  it.  It  is  overworry.  That  is 
what  frets  and  tears  and  wears  out  the  worker.  You 
can't  have  that  liberty  without  the  Spirit.  The  work  of 
the  Spirit  in  this  world  is  to  testify  of  Christ,  the  Saviour 
of  men.  Now,  mark :  if  you  want  the  Spirit  to  work  with 
you  and  make  your  words  effectual,  you  must  proclaim 
Christ,  and  not  preach  yourself,  or  your  own  notions  or 
theories.  Otherwise,  how  can  the  Spirit  work  with  you  ? 
How  can  he  testify  of  Christ  in  a  sermon  that  has  no 
Christ  set  forth?  What  Chicago  wants  is  to  have  the 
Son  of  God  lifted  up,  not  men's  thoughts,  theories,  science, 
higher  criticism,  and  all  that. 

"  We  must  have  the  Holy  Spirit  to  guide  us  into  all 
truth.  This  is  his  work.  If  we  yield  to  him  there  is  not 


THE  LAST  MONTH  183 

one  necessary  truth  in  the  Bible  that  he  will  not  lead  us 
into.  And  all  necessary  truth  for  life  and  godliness  is  in 
that  book.  We  get  it  only  by  revelation  of  the  Spirit. 
He  brings  the  words  of  Christ  to  remembrance.  He  lights 
up  the  words  that  lie  cold  and  still  in  the  memory  and 
makes  them  live  and  speak  and  work  in  us.  I  verily  be- 
lieve that  if  the  Holy  Spirit  had  not  come  to  men  the  very 
story  of  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ  would  have  died 
out  and  been  utterly  forgotten  from  among  men." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE. 

ON  the  night  of  Sunday,  October  8,  1871,  Mr.  Moody, 
then  a  resident  of  Chicago,  was  preaching  to  a  large  con- 
gregation in  Farwell  Hall  in  that  city.  It  was  the  fifth  of 
a  series  of  six  sermons  on  the  life  of  Christ,  and  he  pro- 
posed to  preach  the  sixth  and  the  last  of  the  series  on  the 
following  Sunday.  Even  while  he  was  holding  up  Christ 
to  that  congregation,  that  awful  tempest  of  fire,  which 
swept  Chicago  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  had  already  burst 
upon  the  city,  and  in  a  short  time  that  congregation  was 
a  crowd  of  wildly  fleeing  fugitives,  and  their  homes  and 
the  hall  in  which  they  had  listened  to  Moody's  appeals 
were  heaps  of  smoking  ruins. 

The  date  of  that  most  destructive  conflagration  in  the 
history  of  the  New  World  has  been  burned  with  flame 
into  the  memory  of  every  Chicagoan  of  that  awful,  fateful 
time.  The  hew  Chicago  resolved  to  celebrate  the  twenty- 
second  anniversary  of  the  fire  on  a  colossal  scale,  hoping 
to  draw  the  largest  number  of  people  to  the  "World's  Fair 
on  that  day  that  the  city  had  ever  seen.  A  "  Chicago 
Day"  celebration  was  accordingly  announced,  and  Mr. 
Moody  at  once  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the  circum- 
stances to  make  that  eighth  day  of  October,  1893,  a  great 
day  for  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ.  Arrangements  were 
promptly  made  for  an  extraordinary  meeting,  with  the 
entire  force  of  evangelists  and  singers,  from  10  A.M.  to 

184 


THE  FIEE  ANXIVEESAEY  SERVICE  185 

2.30  P.M.,  in  Central  Music  Hall.  One  part  of  the  exercises 
was  to  be  a  repetition  by  Mr.  Moody  of  the  sermon  he  had 
preached  on  the  night  of  the  fire,  twenty-two  years  before. 

At  the  appointed  time  the  immense  hall  was  filled,  with 
hundreds  of  disappointed  people  outside  vainly  trying  to 
gain  entrance.  Four  and  a  half  hours  the  meeting  con- 
tinued without  pause,  rising  to  a  climax  of  overwhelming 
power  with  Mr.  Moody's  sermon,  which  was  given  in  the 
last  half -hour.  To  the  writer  the  service  seemed  not  over 
an  hour  long,  though  eighteen  songs  were  sung,  solos, 
quartets,  chorus,  and  congregational,  with  pipe-organ  and 
cornet  accompaniment,  eight  prayers  were  offered,  and 
seven  addresses  were  delivered. 

"  Will  the  people  go  and  sit  in  a  hall  over  four  hours, 
to  listen  to  songs  and  sermons,  on  such  a  perfect  October 
day,  when  the  World's  Fair  has  put  on  all  its  glory ! " 
This  was  the  anxious  question  of  many,  who  feared  that 
Mr.  Moody  had  made  a  mistake.  The  question  was  soon 
answered  by  a  multitude  of  people  that  packed  the  im- 
mense building  and  overflowed  into  the  street  by  hun- 
dreds. So  great  was  the  desire  to  enter  that  the  doors 
had  to  be  double  barred,  after  the  hall  was  full,  to  resist 
the  pressure  from  without,  and  many  went  away  with  bit- 
ter disappointment  who  had  come  great  distances  to  at- 
tend the  meeting. 

The  writer,  in  order  to  gain  a  good  point  for  outlook 
and  hearing,  climbed  to  one  of  the  boxes  hanging  like 
birds'  nests  up  near  the  dome.  The  scene  was  one  not 
soon  to  be  forgotten.  There  was  an  eagerness  of  desire, 
a  hush  of  expectancy,  that  could  be  felt  in  the  very  atmo- 
sphere of  the  hall,  as  well  as  seen  upon  the  thousands  of 
upturned  faces. 

Now  let  us  look  and  listen.  On  the  platform  are  massed 
together  the  whole  corps  of  evangelists,  all  the  song-lead- 


186  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

ers,  the  quartets,  and  the  chorus  choir,  with  Mr.  Moody 
at  the  front,  like  a  veteran  engineer  on  the  engine  of  a 
"  flyer,"  directing  everything  to  its  destined  end. 

The  time  has  come  to  begin.  "  Let  us  sing  '  All  hail 
the  power  of  Jesus'  name/ "  cries  Mr.  Moody,  and  the 
thundering  organ,  the  two  cornets,  the  choir,  and  the 
thousand-voiced  congregation  burst  forth  in  a  musical 
shout,  "Let  us  crown  him  Lord  of  all."  Surely  this  is 
worship !  Surely  there  is  heart  and  soul  in  this  exultant 
song !  "  Let  us  all  give  thanks  to  God  for  his  great  good- 
ness," says  the  leader  reverently,  and  Evangelist  Potter 
leads  the  worshipers  in  thanksgiving  and  praise. 

Now  another  hymn,  one  of  Moody's  favorites,  a  metrical 
version  of  the  one  hundred  and  thirtieth  Psalm,  with  the 
chorus,  "  For  Jehovah  I  am  waiting,  and  my  hope  is  in  his 
word,"  rings  out  in  a  mighty  volume  of  sound.  "  Now  let 
us  all  unite  in  prayer,"  says  the  leader,  and  Lord  Kinnaird 
of  London  prays  fervently,  with  thanksgiving  and  praise. 
"  Sing  Hymn  309,  '  I  shall  be  satisfied.' "  Mr.  Burke  and 
Miss  Hinton  sing  this  beautiful  song  as  a  duet,  while  the 
author  of  the  music,  Mr.  Stebbins,  accompanies  them  on 
the  organ. 

"The  Ladies'  Quartet  will  sing."  Four  ladies  of  the 
Moody  Bible  Institute  rise  and  sing  "  I  will  abide  with 
thee." 

"  Let  us  unite  in  prayer."  Dr.  L.  W.  Munhall,  of  Phila- 
delphia, leads  the  congregation  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and 
still  the  spirit  of  devotion  rises. 

"  Let  us  sing  Hymn  301,  '  Saviour,  lead  me,'  the  congre- 
gation joining  in  the  chorus."  The  choir  sings  these  tender 
words,  and  the  chorus  swells  out  with  the  voices  of  the 
multitude. 

"  Mr.  Towner  will  sing  '  My  Mother's  Prayer.' "  What 
a  sweet,  simple,  pathetic  song  that  is!  See  the  people 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  187 

melting  down  under  the  song,  as  if  they  felt  "  the  touch 
of  a  vanished  hand/'  and  heard  "the  sound  of  a  voice 
that  is  still."  Memories  of  far-off,  sacred,  happy  days 
of  vanished  childhood,  of  home,  of  mother,  come  stealing 
through  the  souls  of  many.  See  that  hard,  sad,  furrowed 
face  softening,  tears  raining  down  over  the  cheeks.  Poor 
man !  he  must  have  had  a  hard  life  of  it  since  he  broke 
away  from  the  counsels  and  prayers  of  his  mother.  Gray- 
haired  old  men  and  women  wipe  their  eyes  and  sob.  Some 
men  and  women  are  trying  hard  to  control  their  feelings, 
but  they  cannot  hide  their  hearts  altogether.  The  singer 
has  touched  "  chords  that  vibrate  once  more." 

"Let  us  again  unite  in  prayer."  Rev.  John  McNeill 
prays,  and  the  worshipers  rise  with  him  on  wings  of  faith 
before  the  face  of  God. 

"Sing  Hymn  135.  All  sing.  If  you  can't  sing,  say 
'Hallelujah.'  You  can  all  say  that."  How  the  people 
sing !  The  glorious  "  hallelujah  "  of  the  chorus  makes  the 
building  thrill  and  tremble.  It  stirs  Moody's  soul.  "  Men 
tell  us  the  Cross  has  lost  its  power,"  he  cries ;  "  does  this 
look  like  it  ?  Yesterday  the  gospel  was  preached  to  more 
people  than  on  any  day  in  the  history  of  Chicago.  Noth- 
ing draws  like  the  uplifted  Christ  of  the  gospel." 

"  Now  let  us  take  up  our  offering.  Help  us  to  pay  for 
the  rent  of  the  building.  All  give  something."  As  the 
offering  is  being  taken  the  instruments  softly  play  the 
music  of  the  hymn,  "  I  need  thee  every  hour." 

"  Mr.  Varley  will  now  speak  to  us.  I  call  on  him  first, 
so  that  he  can  go  over  to  the  Woman's  Temple  and  con- 
duct a  meeting  there." 

Evangelist  Varley  reads  the  account  of  the  woman  with 
a  spirit  of  infirmity,  whom  Christ  healed,  and  makes  ap- 
plication of  its  lessons  to  Christians  having  life,  but  no 
liberty — bent,  bowed,  bound  souls,  who  need  the  power 


188  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

of  Christ  to  loose  them  and  make  them  upright.  He 
touches  some  of  the  great  evils  that  afflict  us.  "  I  would 
to  God,"  he  cries,  "  that  you  Americans  would  write  down 
and  put  down  one  of  the  worst  institutions  in  your  land, 
the  Sunday  newspaper."  "  Hear,  hear !  Amen !  Amen !  " 
the  people  respond. 

"  Mr.  Jacobs  will  sing  as  a  solo  Hymn  101."  The  plead- 
ing song  rings  out  sweetly  from  the  singer's  lips,  "  Jesus, 
Saviour,  pilot  me,"  and  amens  are  in  our  hearts. 

"Let  us  sing  Hymn  430.  Let  us  all  rise  and  sing." 
Again  and  again  the  solemn  question  rings  out  in  song 
from  thousands  of  lips,  "When  Jesus  comes  will  he  find 
us  watching  ? " 

"  Major  Whittle  will  lead  us  in  prayer.  Let  us  all  pray." 
The  major  recalls  past  mercies,  praises  the  faithful  Lord, 
and  cries  fervently  to  him  for  manifestations  of  saving 
grace  and  power. 

"  The  Ladies'  Quartet  will  sing  l  Rock  of  Ages,'  a  beau- 
tiful hymn."  How  sweetly  these  charming  singers  render 
the  dear  old  hymn,  singing  with  grace  in  their  hearts  and 
voices.  The  hymn  and  the  music  are  favorites  of  Mr. 
Moody,  and  he  comments  upon  the  song.  "  Do  you  know," 
he  asks,  "why  this  hymn  is  so  sweet  and  precious?  I'll 
tell  you :  it  is  because  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement  is  in 
it.  Oh,  we  cannot  get  along  without  that !  It  is  what 
this  lost  world  needs." 

"  Mr.  McNeill  will  now  speak  to  us." 

The  Scotch  preacher  begins  with  a  happy  reference  to 
the  dominant  memory  of  the  day.  "  I  remember  the  time 
when  that  tempest  of  flame  swept  over  your  city,  and  the 
cry  of  her  desolation  sounded  in  our  ears  beyond  the  sea. 
In  that  dark  day  God  was  your  helper,  and  your  sorrow 
brought  you  near  the  hearts  of  the  whole  civilized  world. 
I  don't  know  but  that  you  were  nearer  God  in  that  day  of 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  189 

your  disaster  and  woe  than  now  since  you  have  waxed 
strong  and  mighty.  In  a  conversation  with  Treasurer 
Harvey  of  your  Relief  Committee,  he  told  me  that  the 
most  touching  gift  he  received  was  a  box  of  clothes  from 
one  of  the  most  destitute  parts  of  destitute  Ireland,  poor, 
patched  clothes  of  every  description,  in  which  Ireland  is 
so  rich.  When  you  look  upon  your  big  dry-goods  houses 
that  reach  up  almost  to  heaven,  it  will  be  well  to  remem- 
ber that  box  of  patched  clothes  from  poor  Irish  homes  be- 
yond the  sea." 

As  a  fitting  key-note  of  praise  for  the  day  the  speaker 
reads  the  opening  verses  of  the  one  hundred  and  third 
Psalm.  "  The  core  of  all  praise  is  the  throb  and  song  of 
the  heart.  Oh,  for  the  singing  heart ! "  He  opens  the 
riches  of  the  "inspired  directory  of  praise,"  and  evokes 
music  from  every  sounding  chord  of  the  beautiful  psalm. 
He  closes  with  a  vivid  picture  of  the  release  and  sunward 
flight  of  a  captive  eagle,  the  congregation  breaking  out  in 
applause. 

"  Sing  Hymn  348,  '  His  mercy  flows  an  endless  stream.' 
Sing  as  you  never  sung  it  before."  And  they  do  sing. 
Higher  and  higher  swell  the  notes  of  the  magnificent 
chorus.  "  Sing  it  again."  And  they  sing  it  again  and 
again.  "Let  the  people  on  the  floor  of  the  hall  sing  it 
alone."  The  wave  of  song  rolls  over  the  auditorium. 
"  Now  let  the  first  gallery  try  it."  The  chorus  rolls  up 
from  the  first  gallery.  "  Now  you  people  up  in  the  second 
gallery  sing  it  alone."  Up  in  the  dome,  from  the  cloud  of 
witnesses  hanging  over  the  auditorium,  the  glad  chorus 
breaks  out.  "  Once  more !  That  was  good."  Again, 
louder,  they  sing  it  out  with  gladness  and  joy.  "Now  let 
everybody  sing  it."  Everybody  does.  Organ,  cornets, 
choirs,  floor,  stage,  galleries,  aisles,  everything  breaks  out 
in  the  jubilant  cry,  "  His  mercy  flows  an  endless  stream, 


190  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

to  all  eternity  the  same."  The  waves  of  sound  break  upon 
my  lofty  aerie  like  the  spray  of  a  musical  Niagara,  and  the 
dome  rolls  them  back  again  upon  the  heads  of  the  wor- 
shipers. 

"  Mr.  Inglis  will  lead  us  in  prayer.  Let  us  all  pray." 
The  warm-hearted  Englishman  gives  voice  to  the  thoughts 
in  our  hearts,  and  soft  ripples  of  "Amen  "  pass  over  the 
congregation. 

"  Miss  Hinton  will  sing  a  solo,  No.  116."  Our  thoughts 
are  borne  toward  that  happy  time  when  "  We  shall  meet 
our  loved  ones  there,  some  sweet  day,  by  and  by,"  as  she 
sings  the  beautiful  strains. 

"  Major  Whittle  will  now  address  us."  The  major  is  a 
Chicagoan.  He  recalls  how  he  came  to  the  city  in  1857, 
and  has  made  it  his  home  city  ever  since.  He  also  has 
his  memorable  experiences  of  the  great  fire  burned  in  the 
memory.  He  recalls  some  of  the  incidents  of  the  time, 
and  makes  spiritual  application  of  them,  centering  all 
upon  the  supreme  importance  of  the  unseen  and  eternal 
things  which  abide  when  the  glory  and  wealth  of  the 
earthly  shall  have  passed  away  forever. 

"  Sing  Hymn  318, '  Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  Cross  ? ' "  The 
familiar  words  seem  to  put  on  new  meaning  as  they  are 
rung  forth  under  the  inspiration  of  the  hour. 

"  We  will  now  be  addressed  by  Dr.  Pierson." 

Dr.  Pierson's  stirring  address  has  the  glowing  reflection 
of  the  great  fire  in  all  its  parts.  He  relates  some  remark- 
able incidents  of  the  awful  conflagration  that  swept  over 
the  Northwest,  which  came  to  his  knowledge  in  a  journey 
over  the  wide  waste  of  the  burnt  district,  sixty  by  four 
miles  in  extent.  He  saw  there  a  wooden  church  standing 
untouched  and  unscathed  by  the  fire,  a  solitary  monument 
in  the  desolation,  with  everything  swept  away  by  the  flames 
around  it.  He  preached  in  the  church,  and  asked  the 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  191 

people  to  explain  the  strange  fact  of  the  preservation  of 
their  church.  They  told  him  that  the  church  had  been 
built  for  them  with  money  given  for  the  purpose  by  a 
devout  Scotch  Covenanter.  When  the  fire  came  sweeping 
down  upon  the  settlement,  the  people  fled  for  refuge  from 
their  homes  to  a  ravine  within  sight  of  their  church. 
There,  with  strong  crying  and  tears,  they  prayed  God  to 
save  the  house  built  for  his  worship.  Their  own  homes 
might  go,  but  oh,  let  him  spare  their  church !  They  looked 
as  the  mighty  sea  of  flame  came  rolling  on,  devouring 
everything  as  it  came,  and  to  their  joyful  amazement  they 
saw  the  flames  parting  asunder  as  they  neared  the  church, 
and  the  red  waves  swept  by  on  either  side,  licking  up  their 
homes,  leaving  the  house  of  God  without  touch  or  smell 
of  fire  upon  it ! 

The  speaker  proceeds  to  talk  of  the  fire  that  shall  try 
every  man's  work,  and  of  the  kind  of  work  that  shall 
abide  the  fiery  test,  concluding  with  an  account  of  his 
own  experience  in  the  ministry,  which  issued  in  entire 
consecration  and  new  spheres  of  blessed  service  in  the 
kingdom  of  Christ. 

"  Let  us  pray.  Mr.  Needham  will  lead  us  in  prayer." 
The  evangelist  speaks  out  of  our  hearts,  and  with  one 
accord  we  wait  at  the  throne  of  grace,  receiving  the  bless- 
ings we  seek. 

"  Let  us  sing."  What  ?  Nothing  so  fitting  as  the  cry, 
"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee,"  and  oh,  how  the  musical  out- 
cry of  the  throng  rings  out  with  heart  and  voice  ! 

"  We  will  have  a  word  from  Lord  Kinnaird."  The  word 
which  the  British  nobleman  speaks  is  an  appeal  to  the 
young  to  keep  their  record  clear  and  clean,  and  an  assur- 
ance to  those  who  have  failed  that  God  can  and  will  re- 
store and  remake  that  which  they  have  marred,  if  they 
will  but  bring  it  to  him. 


192  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

"The  Princeton  Quartet  will  sing."  The  song  is  one 
of  the  most  affecting  and  impressive  yet  heard  in  these 
meetings.  It  is  the  first  seven  verses  of  the  twelfth  chap- 
ter of  Ecclesiastes,  set  to  music  that  carries  the  sentiment 
irresistibly  into  the  heart.  One  rarely  sees  a  congregation 
solemnized,  hushed,  and  moved  as  that  touching  cry  of 
the  ancient  singer  moves  them. 

"  Mr.  Munhall  will  now  address  us."  In  a  rousing  ad- 
dress the  evangelist  speaks  of  a  current  misconception  of 
the  fatherhood  of  God,  and  corrects  it.  He  refers  to  na- 
ture's testimony  to  the  wisdom,  power,  and  glory  of  God, 
and  shows  that  only  in  Jesus  Christ  can  we  find  his  saving 
grace  and  love  declared  and  set  forth.  He  speaks  of  the 
written  Word  as  disclosing  the  living  Word,  and  illus- 
trates the  power  and  sufficiency  of  the  Word  from  the 
experiences  of  men,  closing  his  inspiring  address  with  a 
thrilling  incident  of  the  late  Civil  War. 

"  Hymn  74.  Let  us  sing."  It  is  two  o'clock,  and  the 
hymn  seems  to  be  intended  for  the  close  of  the  meeting. 
It  is  "  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again."  But  now  Mr. 
Moody  rises  to  speak,  and  we  are  to  have  the  promised 
sermon  he  preached  twenty-two  years  ago,  on  the  night 
of  the  fire. 

It  is  a  trying  experience,  for  the  speaker  is  profoundly 
moved,  almost  unable  at  times  to  command  his  voice  or 
restrain  his  tears,  as  the  memories  of  the  past  rush  in 
upon  his  soul. 

Following  is  a  verbatim  report  of  the  sermon : 

Mr.  Moody' s  "  Fire  Sermon." 

In  the  spring  of  '71,  along  with  Philip  Phillips  and  Rev. 
(now  Bishop)  J.  H.  Vincent,  I  went  to  California,  and  when 
I  came  back  here  hot  weather  had  come,  our  audience  had 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  193 

become  scattered,  and  I  came  to  Farwell  Hall,  wanting 
to  get  back  the  audience,  but  nearly  all  had  gone,  and  it 
seemed  almost  impossible  to  get  them  together  again.  I 
remember  that  for  a  number  of  weeks  I  was  turning  over 
in  my  mind  what  to  do  to  accomplish  that.  I  thought  I 
would  get  up  some  kind  of  sacred  concerts,  or  get  some 
one  to  lecture  on  historical  events,  for  I  thought  that  the 
gospel  would  not  draw.  But  I  remember  that  after  pray- 
ing over  it  and  getting  up  from  my  knees  the  thought 
came  to  me,  Preach  to  them  upon  Bible  characters.  Well, 
I  had  some  six  or  eight  Bible  characters  in  my  mind,  and 
I  thought  I  would  try  Adam  first.  So  I  took  Adam  and 
looked  him  over,  but  I  thought  I  could  never  talk  about 
him  for  thirty  minutes.  Then  I  thought  I  would  try 
Enoch.  I  think  I  took  up  Noah  next,  and  I  came  down 
to  Abraham  and  had  him  as  one  of  the  characters.  I  ad- 
vertised that  I  would  speak  so  many  nights  on  the  Bible 
characters.  It  was  not  long  before  Farwell  Hall  began  to 
fill  up,  and  inside  of  five  weeks  I  had  the  largest  congre- 
gations I  had  ever  spoken  to  in  Chicago.  When  I  came 
to  Christ  I  intended  to  devote  six  nights  to  his  life.  I 
had  been  spending  four  Sabbath  nights  on  the  subject, 
and  had  followed  him  from  the  manger  along  through 
his  life,  to  his  arrest  and  trial,  and  on  the  fifth  Sabbath 
night,  the  8th  of  October,  I  was  preaching  to  the  largest 
congregation  I  had  ever  had  in  Chicago,  quite  elated  with 
my  success,  having  for  my  text  the  words :  "  What  shall 
I  do  then  with  Jesus  which  is  called  the  Christ  ?  "  That 
night  I  made  one  of  the  greatest  mistakes  of  my  life. 
After  preaching — or  talking,  as  I  did  not  call  it  preaching 
then — with  all  the  power  that  God  had  given  me,  urging 
Christ  upon  the  people,  I  closed  up  the  sermon  and  said, 
"  I  wish  you  would  take  this  text  home  with  you  and  turn 
it  over  in  your  minds  during  the  week,  and  next  Sabbath 


19-1  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

we  will  conie  to  Calvary  and  the  Cross,  and  we  will  decide 
what  we  will  do  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

I  have  never  seen^hat  congregation  since.  I  have  hard 
work  to  keep  back  the  tears  here  to-day.  I  have  looked 
over  this  audience,  and  not  a  single  one  is  here  that  I 
preached  to  that  night.  I  have  a  great  many  old  friends 
and  am  pretty  well  acquainted  in  Chicago,  but  twenty-two 
years  have  passed  away,  and  I  have  not  seen  that  congre- 
gation since,  and  I  will  never  meet  those  people  again 
until  I  meet  them  in  another  world.  But  I  want  to  tell 
you  of  one  lesson  I  learned  that  night,  which  I  have  never 
forgotten,  and  that  is,  when  I  preach  to  press  Christ  upon 
the  people  then  and  there,  and  try  to  bring  them  to  a  de- 
cision on  the  spot.  I  would  rather  have  that  right  hand 
cut  off  than  give  an  audience  a  week  to  decide  what  to 
do  with  Jesus.  I  have  often  been  criticized,  and  people 
have  said :  "  Moody,  you  seem  to  try  to  get  people  to  de- 
cide all  at  once ;  why  do  you  not  give  them  time  to  con- 
sider ?  "  I  have  asked  God  many  times  to  forgive  me  for 
telling  people  that  night  to  take  a  week  to  think  it  over, 
and  if  he  spares  my  life  I  will  never  do  it  again.  This 
audience  will  break  up  in  a  few  moments  and  we  will 
never  meet  again.  There  is  something  awfully  solemn 
about  a  congregation  like  this ! 

You  will  notice  that  Pilate  was  just  in  the  condition 
that  my  audience  was  that  night,  just  the  condition  that 
you  are  in  here  to-day — he  had  to  decide  then  and  there 
what  to  do  with  Jesus.  The  thing  was  sprung  upon  him 
suddenly,  although  I  do  not  think  that  Jesus  Christ  could 
have  been  a  stranger  to  Pilate.  I  do  not  believe  that  he 
had  preached  in  Judea  for  months,  and  also  in  Jerusalem, 
without  Pilate  hearing  of  his  teaching.  He  must  have 
heard  of  the  sermons  he  had  preached;  he  must  have 
heard  of  the  doctrines  he  taught ;  he  must  have  heard  of 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  195 

the  wonderful  parables  that  he  uttered;  he  must  have 
heard  about  the  wonderful  miracles  that  he  had  per- 
formed ;  he  must  have  heard  how  Herod  had  taken  the 
life  of  his  forerunner  by  having  him  beheaded,  and  of  the 
cruel  way  he  had  treated  him,  so  that  he  was  no  stranger 
to  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

But  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  child  here  to-day 
that  has  not  a  better  knowledge  of  Christ  than  Pilate  had. 
We  have  had  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years  of  gospel 
proclamation  in  this  dark  world,  and  have  seen  the  fruits 
of  Christianity  as  Pilate  never  did.  He  never  had  seen 
Christ  in  his  glorified  state.  The  only  time  he  saw  him 
was  in  his  humiliation,  despised  and  rejected  of  men.  The 
chief  men  that  followed  Christ  were  men  of  no  account, 
men  of  no  power,  of  no  title,  of  no  influence,  of  no  posi- 
tion or  culture.  There  was  no  crown  upon  his  brow  ex- 
cept the  crown  of  thorns,  no  scepter  in  his  hand  except 
the  reed  placed  there  in  derision  and  mockery.  But  we 
have  seen  Christ  glorified,  and  we  see  him  to-day  by  the 
throne  of  God,  and  We  have  far  more  light  than  Pilate 
had ;  and  yet  Pilate  had  his  day ;  and  I  believe  every  man 
and  woman  have  their  day  of  opportunity.  That  was 
Pilate's  day.  The  Son  of  God  crossed  his  path  that  day, 
and  he  was  exalted  to  heaven  with  privilege.  It  was  a 
glorious  privilege  that  he  had.  If  he  had  decided  accord- 
ing to  his  own  conscience,  even  according  to  his  own  de- 
ceitful heart,  and  had  been  influenced  by  his  wife,  Pilate 
might  have  been  immortal.  He  might  have  had  his  name 
associated  with  that  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  with  the 
twelve  disciples  of  the  Lamb,  and  with  those  foremost  to 
herald  the  name  of  Jesus,  if  he  had  only  acted  according 
to  his  conscience.  But  there  was  another  influence  about 
him  :  the  world  came  in,  political  preferment  came  in  ;  the 
Roman  government  came  in,  and  he  wanted  to  win  the 


196  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

favor  of  the  Caesars.  There  you  see  that  weak,  vacillating 
man  in  the  balance,  wavering.  Hear  his  decision:  "I 
find  no  fault  in  him." 

Did  you  ever  notice  that  God  makes  all  his  enemies 
testify  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  ?  The  centurion  who 
had  charge  of  his  execution  smote  his  breast  and  said: 
"  Certainly  this  was  a  righteous  man."  And  Judas,  after 
having  betrayed  the  Son  of  God,  said :  "  I  have  betrayed 
innocent  blood."  And  Pilate  had  to  testify  that  he  could 
find  no  fault  in  him. 

I  do  not  believe  that  ever  in  the  history  of  the  world 
was  there  a  more  unjust  judgment  given  than  that  of 
Pilate  upon  Jesus  Christ.  After  examination  he  declared, 
"  I  find  no  fault  in  him,"  and  in  the  same  breath  he  said, 
"I  will  chastise  him."  The  process  of  scourging  was 
very  cruel.  They  took  the  prisoner,  bound  his  wrists  and 
fastened  him  in  a  stooping  posture,  and  the  scourge,  which 
is  made  of  cord  knotted  with  sharp  pieces  of  steel,  was 
brought  down  upon  the  bare  back  of  the  victim,  lacerat- 
ing the  flesh,  cutting  it  to  the  bone,  and  many  a  man  died 
under  the  infliction.  He  scourged  an  innocent  man,  but 
he  wanted  to  curry  favor  with  the  Jews  and  also  hold 
with  the  Romans,  and  that  was  his  decision.  The  Jews 
had  the  judge.  They  saw  that  he  was  vacillating,  and 
knew  that  he  was  the  man  for  them,  and  that  they  could 
get  their  own  way.  They  said :  "  If  you  let  that  man  go 
you  are  not  Caesar's  friend."  Then  he  tried  to  shift  the 
responsibility.  What  man  is  there  here  who  has  not 
tried  to  shift  responsibility  in  the  same  way  ?  And  I  tell 
you  that  every  one  of  you  will  have  to  decide  for  himself 
what  he  will  do  with  Jesus ;  your  wife  cannot  decide  it 
for  you  j  no  friend  on  earth  can  decide  for  you. 

It  was  the  custom  to  release  a  prisoner  at  the  feast  of 
the  Passover,  so  Pilate  took  the  most  noted  criminal  he 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  197 

had  and  asked  them  whether  he  should  release  Barabbas 
or  Christ.  He  thought  they  would  rather  have  Christ 
than  Barabbas,  but  they  cried  out:  "Barabbas!  Barab- 
bas !  "  Then  Pilate  asked :  "  What  shall  I  do  then  with 
Jesus,  who  is  called  the  Christ  ? "  He  had  sent  him  to 
Herod,  but  Herod  had  sent  him  back  and  refused  to  take 
his  life.  And  when  he  found  that  he  could  not  prevail, 
he  was  willing  to  go  with  the  multitude,  instead  of  stand- 
ing up  against  the  current. 

What  we  want  in  this  city  is  men  to  stand  up  for  the 
right  j  and  even  if  you  do  suffer  for  a  little  while,  the 
crowning  day  is  coming.  We  want  men  to  stand  up 
against  the  current,  not  go  with  it ;  and  not  only  to  stand 
up  against  the  current,  but  to  go  right  against  it.  There 
was  Pilate's  failure.  Would  to  God  that  he  had  had 
the  courage  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea !  Hardly  any  name 
in  history  shines  brighter  than  that  of  Joseph.  I  can 
imagine  him  that  night  in  the  council-chamber,  when 
Jesus  was  condemned  by  the  sanhedrim.  "  What  think 
ye  ? "  is  the  question.  And  then  it  rang  out  through  the 
judgment-hall,  "  He  is  guilty  of  death !  "  But  away  down 
at  the  other  end  of  the  hall,  Joseph  arose,  and  with  a 
clear,  ringing  voice,  he  said :  "  I  will  never  give  my  con- 
sent to  that  just  man's  death !  "  How  that  voice  must 
have  refreshed  the  soul  of  the  Son  of  God  in  that  dark 
night,  when  not  one  stood  by  him,  when  all  cried  out 
against  him !  Oh,  it  is  an  honor  to  confess  Christ ! 

There  never  will  be  a  time  when  we  can  do  more  for 
Christ  than  now,  and  there  is  no  better  place  than  here 
in  Chicago.  May  God  help  us  to  take  our  stand  in  these 
dark  days,  when  Christ  is  rejected  by  so  many,  and  when 
they  are  telling  us  that  he  is  not  the  Saviour  of  the  world, 
and  are  putting  him  on  a  level  with  other  men.  Come 
out  and  take  a  high  stand  for  Christ.  Let  others  go  on 


198  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

scoffing,  but  you  come  out  and  identify  yourself  with  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  Christ.  Take  a  high  stand — that  is  what 
we  want  to  do.  May  God  help  you ! 

Pilate  had  come  to  the  fork  of  the  road.  That  was  a 
memorable  day  in  his  history,  for  he  had  only  to  take  the 
advice  of  his  wife  and  obey  his  conscience.  She  had  sent 
word  to  him,  saying,  "  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that 
just  man;  for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in 
a  dream  because  of  him."  It  may  be  that  God  warns 
you  sometimes  in  dreams.  He  evidently  did  warn  Pilate 
through  the  dream  of  his  wife.  I  was  reading  not  long 
ago  of  a  mother  who  had  a  daughter  who  was  away  from 
home  visiting  with  some  friends.  She  dreamed  that  her 
daughter  was  murdered  and  buried  under  the  barn  floor. 
The  dream  made  such  an  impression  on  her  mind  that 
she  went  and  had  the  barn  floor  taken  up,  and  there  was 
the  daughter  just  as  she  had  dreamed.  I  do  not  know 
what  Pilate's  wife's  dream  was,  but  perhaps  she  had  a 
dream  of  the  judgment-day,  and  saw  Christ  sitting  upon 
a  throne  with  the  angels  about  him,  and  her  husband 
coming  before  him  to  be  judged,  and  she  was  terrified  and 
made  haste  and  sent  word  to  her  husband :  "  Have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  that  just  man,  for  I  have  suffered  many 
things  in  a  dream  because  of  him."  Every  man  who  had 
anything  to  do  with  the  murder  of  Christ  soon  came  to  a 
terrible  end.  Be  careful  about  your  decision  in  regard  to 
Jesus,  for  he  is  to  be  the  Judge  of  the  world. 

I  cannot  detain  you  much  longer,  but  I  would  like  to- 
day to  press  upon  you  this  one  question :  "  What  shall  I 
do  with  Jesus  Christ?"  I  cannot  speak  for  the  rest  of 
you,  but  ever  since  that  night  of  the  great  fire  I  have  de- 
termined as  long  as  God  spares  my  life  to  make  more  of 
Christ  than  in  the  past.  I  thank  God  that  he  is  a  thou- 
sand times  more  to  me  to-day  than  he  was  twenty-two 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  199 

years  ago.  I  made  some  vows  after  that  Chicago  fire,  and 
I  want  to  tell  you  that  God  has  helped  me  to  keep  those 
vows.  I  am  not  what  I  wish  I  was,  but  I  am  a  good  deal 
better  than  I  was  when  Chicago  was  on  fire. 

Just  as  I  was  preparing  to  leave  London  the  last  time 
I  was  there,  I  called  upon  a  celebrated  physician,  who  told 
me  that  my  heart  was  weakening  and  that  I  had  to  let  up 
on  my  work,  that  I  had  to  be  more  careful  of  myself ;  and 
I  was  going  home  with  the  thought  that  I  would  not  work 
qiiite  so  hard.  I  was  on  that  ill-fated  steamer,  the  Spree, 
and  when  the  announcement  came  that  the  vessel  was 
sinking  and  that  there  was  no  hope,  and  the  stern  sunk 
thirty  feet,  and  we  were  there  forty-eight  hours  in  that 
helpless  condition,  no  one  on  earth  knew  what  I  passed 
through  during  those  hours,  as  I  thought  that  my  work 
was  finished,  that  I  would  never  again  have  the  privilege 
of  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  And  on  that 
dark  night,  the  first  night  of  the  accident,  I  made  a  vow 
that  if  God  would  spare  my  life  and  bring  me  back  to 
America,  I  would  come  back  to  Chicago  and  at  this  World's 
Fair  preach  the  gospel  with  all  the  power  that  he  would 
give  me ;  and  God  has  enabled  me  to  keep  that  vow  dur- 
ing the  past  five  months.  It  seems  as  if  I  went  to  the 
very  gates  of  heaven  during  those  forty-eight  hours  on 
the  sinking  ship,  and  God  permitted  me  to  come  back 
and  preach  Christ  a  little  longer.  And  I  would  like  to 
say  that  if  there  is  a  man  or  woman  in  this  house  to-day 
living  under  a  broken  vow,  you  had  better  right  here  and 
now,  in  the  presence  of  these  people,  resolve  to  pay  your 
vows  before  God.  Sometimes  we  wait  for  a  calamity  to 
strike  us.  When  the  Chicago  fire  struck  me  I  was  in  the 
middle  of  my  life — if  I  live  out  the  time  allotted  to  man. 
After  the  fire  I  just  looked  around,  and  I  cannot  tell  you 
what  a  blessing  that  fire  was  to  me.  I  think  when  calam- 


200  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

ity  comes  to  us  we  ought  to  get  all  we  can  out  of  it,  and 
if  God  has  a  lesson  for  us  to  learn,  let  us  take  the  lesson. 
It  may  be  that  God  has  a  wonderful  lesson  for  us.  I  will 
venture  to  say  that  many  of  you  here  have  been  in  this 
same  state.  You  that  are  in  the  middle  of  life,  look 
around  and  ask  yourself  whether  your  life  is  what  it 
ought  to  be.  Come  to-day  just  for  a  little  review,  and 
look  down  along  the  way  from  whence  you  came.  Do 
you  not  see  some  spot  in  your  life  where  you  have  made 
a  vow  and  have  not  kept  it  ?  You  have  said,  "  I  will  be 
a  more  consecrated  man,  or  I  will  be  a  Christian ;"  you 
have  stood  by  the  bedside  of  a  dying  mother  and  have 
said,  "I  will  meet  you  in  the  better  world."  Are  you 
going  to  make  good  that  promise  ?  Why  not  do  so  here, 
just  at  the  close  of  this  four  hours'  meeting  ?  Make  up 
your  minds  that  you  will  carry  out  that  vow.  It  may  be 
I  am  talking  to  a  father  or  mother  who  has  laid  away  a 
little  child.  When  that  child  was  taken  away  you  said : 
"  I  am  going  to  li ve  a  more  consecrated  life ;  I  will  not 
get  rooted  and  grounded  in  things  below,  but  I  will  rather 
set  my  affections  on  things  above ;  I  will  make  good  my 
vow." 

It  is  only  a  little  while,  a  few  months,  a  few  years,  and 
we  will  all  be  gone.  May  God  help  us  now  to  pay  our 
vows  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people.  Come  now  while 
I  am  speaking,  and  just  make  a  full,  complete,  and  un- 
conditional surrender  to  God,  and  say,  "  Here  am  I,  Lord  ; 
take  me  and  use  me,  let  me  have  the  privilege  of  being  a 
co-worker  with  thee,"  and  there  will  be  a  fire  kindled  here 
that  will  burn  into  eternity.  This  hour,  this  minute,  make 
up  your  minds  that  you  are  going  to  be  from  this  time  on 
the  Lord's  side.  Go  to  your  home,  to  your  church,  and 
give  a  ringing  testimony  for  the  Son  of  God.  Go  to  work, 
do  what  you  can  for  Christ,  and  there  will  be  grand  days 


THE  FIRE  ANNIVERSARY  SERVICE  201 

for  this  Republic,  and  a  blessed  life  for  you  here  and  here- 
after. 

With  this  closing  appeal  the  speaker  turns  to  God  with 
a  fervent  prayer  of  thanksgiving,  consecration,  supplica- 
tion, and  tearful  intercession  for  the  city  and  for  the 
multitudes  coming  up  to  the  Fair.  Then  once  more  the 
people  unite  in  singing,  and  are  dismissed  with  the  bene- 
diction, to  meet  again  no  more  until  all  the  earth  shall 
stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
/ 

DRAWING  TO   ITS   CLOSE. 

THE  last  Sunday  of  the  gospel  meetings  seemed  like  a 
hundredfold  farewell  service  day,  for  it  was  manifest  that 
the  impression  of  the  closing  time  was  upon  speakers  and 
hearers.  Every  meeting  seemed  to  be  touched  with  the 
tender  feeling  of  an  approaching  separation  which  deep- 
ened the  solemn  sense  of  responsibility.  There  was  a 
great  reluctance  and  an  inward  protest  against  the  closing 
of  the  campaign.  It  seemed  to  many  as  if  the  movement 
so  greatly  honored  of  God  should  be  continued  as  a  part 
of  the  normal  religious  activities  of  the  city ;  but  it  was 
clear  to  the  mind  of  the  leader  that  the  extraordinary 
measures  which  had  been  devised  to  meet  extraordinary 
conditions  must  cease,  as  they  had  begun,  with  them. 
Whether  out  of  the  experiences  and  impulses  of  the  cam- 
paign a  new  crusade  for  Christ  should  hereafter  spring 
forth,  will  be  manifest  in  its  time.  Certain  it  is  that  the 
desire  and  demand  for  united,  far-reaching,  continued  re- 
ligious movements,  commensurate  with  the  greatness  of 
the  need,  became  increasingly  apparent  during  the  closing 
days  of  the  World's  Fair  season. 

Mr.  Moody  himself  came  to  the  last  days  of  the  labori- 
ous months  with  reluctance  and  regret.  "  I  cannot  tell 
you,"  he  said  to  one  of  his  congregations,  "  how  sorry  I 
am  that  this  blessed  work  is  coming  to  its  close.  This 
has  been  one  of  the  most  delightful  experiences  of  my  life. 

202 


DRAWING   TO  ITS  CLOSE  203 

I  am  so  thankful  that  God  has  permitted  us  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  so  many  people  during  these  six  months.  I 
think  I  have  never  had  the  privilege  of  speaking  to  so 
many  Christian  people  as  here.  My  desire  and  prayer  is 
that  they  may  catch  the  fire  of  God  and  carry  it  wherever 
they  go.  We  expect  that  there  will  be  results  of  bless- 
ing throughout  the  land  and  the  world  from  these 
meetings." 

Special  efforts  were  made  to  press  the  work  in  the  build- 
ings adjoining  the  Fair  grounds.  In  the  Columbian  Sun- 
dajr-school  Building,  the  Epworth  Hotel  Tabernacle,  the 
Endeavor  Hotel  Tabernacle,  the  Vaudeville  Theater,  and 
elsewhere,  strong  forces  of  speakers,  workers,  and  singers 
were  concentrated.  The  suburban  towns  also  enjoyed  the 
ministry  of  some  of  the  ablest  men  at  command.  Moody, 
Whittle,  Dixon,  McNeill,  Wharton,  Munhall,  and  others 
spoke  with  much  effect.  A  remarkable  feature  of  some 
of  the  meetings  was  the  large  proportion  of  ministers  who 
attended  them,  aggregating  as  many  as  one  thousand  in 
one  week.  Results  of  conviction  and  conversion  of  sin- 
ners and  quickening  of  believers  were  everywhere  seen. 
The  interest  that  had  been  so  remarkably  sustained 
throughout  the  long  campaign  continued  to  the  end. 

Last  Meeting  in  Music  Hall. 

In  accordance  with  Mr.  Moody's  original  purpose  the 
evangelistic  campaign  was  brought  to  its  close  on  the  last 
day  of  the  Fair,  October  31st.  The  services  of  the  day 
were  a  general  rally  in  Central  Music  Hall  for  a  continu- 
ous meeting  from  10  A.M.  to  3.30  P.M.,  as  a  conclusion  of 
the  great  hall  and  theater  meetings,  and  a  final  farewell 
meeting  for  the  workers,  in  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church, 
in  the  evening. 


204  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

The  all-day  meeting,  notwithstanding  the  special  inter- 
est and  attraction  of  the  Fair  on  its  closing  day,  was  a 
continuous  triumph,  from  first  to  last.  The  spacious  build- 
ing was  not  only  full,  and  kept  full  throughout  the  entire 
service,  but  there  was  a  constant  overflow.  About  five 
hundred  ministers  had  been  specially  invited,  and  there 
were  probably  never  so  many  of  the  city  pastors  present 
at  any  one  service.  The  entire  force  of  evangelists  and 
singers  were  on  hand,  ready  to  labor  or  to  wait.  Among 
those  on  the  platform  who  took  prominent  part  in  the 
meeting  were :  Mi*.  Moody,  who  presided,  Rev.  John  McXeill, 
Dr.  O.  P.  Gifford,  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey,  Rev.  John  William- 
son, Dr.  Leech,  Mr.  Charles  Inglis,  Rev.  W.  A.  Phillips, 
Dr.  F.  A.  Noble,  Dr.  Mandeville,  Dr.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  Rev. 
Joseph  Cook,  L.  W.  Munhall,  Evangelist  Brown,  Henry 
Varley,  and  the  song  leaders,  Towner,  Burke,  Jacobs, 
McGranahan,  Chess  Birch,  and  others. 

Promptly  at  ten  o'clock  Mr.  Moody  rose  before  the  eager, 
expectant  multitude  to  open  the  exercises,  and  three  thou- 
sand voices,  led  by  Professor  Towner,  and  supported  by 
the  great  pipe  organ  and  two  cornets,  made  "a  joyful 
noise  unto  the  Lord."  Then  followed  prayers,  and  songs 
by  soloists,  quartets,  chorus  choir,  and  congregation,  and 
addresses,  without  pause  or  intermission,  until  the  closing 
moment.  Eighteen  hymns,  nine  prayers;  eleven  addresses, 
with  pertinent  remarks  and  comments  by  the  chairman, 
filled  the  hours  with  interest  and  blessing. 

Speakers  and  Speeches. 

The  prominent  city  pastors,  of  various  denominations, 
and  other  speakers,  who  made  addresses,  spoke  in  strong 
terms  of  generous  recognition  and  hearty  appreciation  of 
the  good  results  of  the  evangelistic  work  done  during  the 
campaign. 


DRAWING   TO  ITS  CLOSE  205 

Rev.  W.  A.  Phillips,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  a  stirring  address  expressed  his  conviction  that  the 
movement  had  already  proved  a  great  blessing  to  this 
city,  this  country,  and  indeed  the  whole  civilized  world. 
"  On  the  part  of  my  own  congregation,"  said  he,  "  I  can 
say  that  we  stand  covenanted  with  this  man  of  God,  Mr. 
Moody,  to  press  this  work  of  soul  rescue." 

Dr.  F.  A.  Noble,  of  the  Congregational  Church,  spoke 
of  the  great  achievements  that  the  past  six  months  have 
witnessed  in  Chicago ;  "but,"  said  he,  "the  boldest  and 
most  successful  thing  that  has  been  accomplished  is  this 
marvelous  series  of  meetings  organized  and  carried  on  by 
Mr.  Moody."  Of  these  meetings,  among  other  things,  he 
said :  "  They  have  been  greatly  helpful  to  the  churches. 
We  would  not  have  realized  in  our  churches  and  Sunday- 
schools  this  summer  what  we  have,  had  it  not  been  for 
this  magnificent  series  of  meetings.  They  have  also  dem- 
onstrated the  exceedingly  important  fact  that  what  the 
people  want  is  the  old,  old  story." 

Dr.  Joseph  Cook,  of  Boston,  testified  his  confidence  that 
the  unadulterated  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  had  been  preached 
in  the  city  during  these  meetings,  and  therefore  the  usual 
signs  of  salvation  from  sin  followed. 

Dr.  O.  P.  Gifford,  of  the  Baptist  Church,  spoke  most  ap- 
preciatively of  the  effect  and  influence  of  the  campaign. 
Said  he :  "  The  Christian  pastors  of  this  city  looked  for- 
ward to  the  World's  Fair  with -anxiety  and  apprehension, 
fearing  that  the  churches  would  have  to  call  a  halt  of 
their  Christian  activity  during  the  season.  As  pastors 
we  cried  to  God.  The  answer  that  came  to  our  prayer 
from  God  was  D.  L.  Moody,  and  we  were  not  disobedient 
to  the  heavenly  vision.  The  result  has  been  a  magnifi- 
cent triumph  of  the  gospel  and  a  real  upbuilding  of  the 
churches,  but  especially  a  wide-reaching  influence  through- 
out this  and  other  lands." 


206  WORLD' &  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Dr.  E.  P.  Goodwin,  of  the  Congregational  Church,  said 
that  he  had  for  the  first  time  in  twenty-six  years  of  min- 
istry spent  his  entire  summer  in  Chicago,  and  he  did  it 
for  the  sake  of  these  meetings.  He  testified  to  the  mani- 
fested power  of  the  old  gospel,  preached  in  all  simplicity, 
to  attract  and  hold  the  great  multitudes  that  thronged  to 
hear  it,  and  to  save  all  classes  and  conditions  that  accepted 
it.  "  The  thing  that  impressed  me,"  said  he,  "  was  that 
there  is  a  way  to  reach  the  people.  I  have  seen  it  in  the 
theater  meetings,  where  the  lowest  and  the  vilest  thronged 
to  hear  the  gospel  and  were  brought  to  Christ.  God  be 
praised  for  these  brethren  and  for  this  summer's  work." 

Dr.  L.  W.  Munhall,  of  Philadelphia,  said  that  when  he 
first  learned  of  Mr.  Moody's  purpose  to  conduct  evan- 
gelistic meetings  in  Chicago  during  the  World's  Fair  he 
concluded  that,  for  once,  the  evangelist  had  made  a  mis- 
take. But  the  event  has  proved  otherwise.  "  Surely  the 
work  has  been  of  God,  and  has  been  a  great  blessing  to 
the  churches  of  this  city  as  well  as  to  multitudes  through- 
out America  and  Europe." 

All  the  speakers  named  spoke  at  some  length,  some  of 
them  also  on  themes  suggested  by  current  events,  such  as 
the  assassination  of  Mayor  Harrison,  on  the  preceding 
night,  and  the  munificence  of  a  Chicago  millionaire,  with 
application  of  Christian  principles.  Rev.  John  McNeill 
spoke  in  the  early  part  of  the  meeting,  then  went  to  Wil- 
lard  Hall  to  address  an  overflow  meeting.  Mr.  Moody 
introduced  him  with  an  affectionate  reference  that  touched 
a  tender  chord  in  many  hearts.  "  This  dear  man,"  said 
he,  "  has  stood  beside  me  through  all  these  meetings.  I 
have  learned  to  love  him.  He  is  very  close  to  me.  He 
is  going  away  from  us  now.  This  is  his  last  day  among 
us.  May  God  bless  him  in  his  work  beyond  the  sea." 
Mr.  McNeill  dwelt  principally  on  faith  in  Christian  life 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  207 

and  work.  "  God,"  said  he,  "  has  given  to  us  in  this  cam- 
paign a  splendid  triumph  and  reward  of  faith.  The  diffi- 
culties seemed  to  be  enormous,  but  God  laughs  at  difficul- 
ties and  impossibilities." 

Mr.  Henry  Varley  expressed  his  joy  in  having  been  per- 
mitted to  labor  with  Mr.  Moody  in  this  great  movement. 
He  spoke  especially  of  the  Christian  as  being  led  in  tri- 
umph by  God,  redeemed,  accepted,  glorified. 

Mr.  Charles  Inglis  portrayed  the  heroic  Gideon  as  an 
example  of  faith  in  fellowship,  worship,  and  work. 

Mr.  Moody  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  Christian  assurance, 
real  communion  with  God,  loyal  devotion  to  Jesus  Christ 
as  Lord,  and  singleness  and  concentration  of  purpose  in 
life  and  work. 

Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey  made  the  closing  address.  He  said 
in  substance :  "  We  look  over  this  audience  this  afternoon 
and  see  something  over  two  thousand  followers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  What  would  be  the  result  if  these  two  thousand 
went  out  of  this  hall  to  win  souls  for  Christ !  We  have 
talked  and  listened  here,  but  if  we  should  rise  to-day  and 
go  out  of  Music  Hall  to  ah1  parts  of  this  nation  to  win 
souls  for  Jesus  Christ,  we  should  see  the  greatest  revival 
and  the  greatest  victory  for  our  Lord  that  this  world  has 
ever  seen. 

"  There  are  some  of  us  to-day  who  desire  to  shine  down 
here,  but  if  we  could  do  it,  it  would  not  be  worth  the 
while.  The  brightest  star  in  the  financial  firmament 
twelve  months  ago  has  passed  away.  The  brightest  star 
in  the  political  heavens  died  out  in  clouds  and  sadness. 
Last  Saturday  night  the  brightest  star  in  Chicago  politics 
was  quenched  by  an  assassin's  revolver.  Friends,  it  is 
not  worth  while  to  shine  down  here,  if  we  can  but  shine 
up  there. 

11 1  wish  to  make  one  point  here :  how  can  we  all  be 


208  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

soul- winners  ?  I  answer,  by  being  converted  ourselves. 
The  man  trying  to  hold  the  world  with  one  hand  and 
Christ  with  the  other  will  never  be  a  soul- winner.  The 
next  thing  is  that  we  be  emptied  of  our  own  strength. 
Then  we  must  also  understand  the  Word  of  God.  And 
we  must  be  much  in  prayer.  To  have  power  with  men 
we  must  have  power  with  God.  I  believe  the  great  rea- 
son of  the  Church's  weakness  to-day  is  the  lack  of  power 
with  God.  There  was  never  a  time  when  we  had  so  many 
wise  methods,  but  there  is  the  one  fatal  lack  of  power 
with  God.  The  reason  of  that  lack  is,  we  do  not  lie  on 
our  faces  before  God  enough.  Dr.  Stephen  Tyng,  when 
dying,  said,  '  I  do  not  wish  I  had  preached  more ;  I  do  not 
wish  I  had  worked  harder ;  but  I  do  wish  I  had  prayed 
more.'  We  must  believe  that  we  have  a  prayer-hearing 
and  prayer-answering  God.  And,  once  more,  we  must 
have  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  doctrine  is 
coming  to  the  front.  Power  by  the  Spirit.  We  are 
plainly  told  in  Peter's  sermon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
how  we  can  obtain  that  power.  Everybody  can  receive 
it.  If  we  ask  and  claim  the  great  gift  we  will  all  go  forth 
clothed  with  power  to  work  for  God  as  we  have  never 
worked  before." 

With  prayer,  song,  and  benediction  the  five  and  a  half 
hours'  continuous  service  came  to  its  close.  But  still  the 
people  lingered  in  the  hall,  as  if  loath  to  leave  for  the  last 
time  the  place  where  so  often  the  grace  and  power  of  God 
had  been  made  manifest  during  the  memorable  weeks  and 
months  now  passed  away. 

The  Farewell  Meeting. 

The  place  fitly  chosen  for  this  final  and  farewell  service 
was  the  Chicago  Avenue  Church,  where  the  first  services 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  209 

inaugurating  the  movement  had  taken  place,  six  months 
before.  The  church  was  filled  at  an  early  hour  with  a 
congregation  such  as  will  never  again  be  seen  there. 
Seats,  stairways,  and  standing-room  were  occupied.  Mr. 
Moody  presided.  A  prelude  of  song  befitting  the  occasion 
was  conducted  by  Mr.  D.  B.  Towner,  in  which  other  song 
leaders,  quartets,  and  choir,  as  well  as  congregation,  took 
part. 

Evangelist  Charles  Inglis  of  London  was  called  upon 
for  a  parting  message,  and  addressed  himself  with  deep 
feeling  and  pleading  words  to  the  unsaved,  inviting  them 
to  respond  to  the  loving  call  of  Jesus  and  accept  salvation 
at  his  hands.  To  his  co-laborers  he  said :  "  I  confess,  dear 
friends,  that  there  is  always  a  tinge  of  sadness  about  last 
meetings,  and  especially  about  our  meeting  to-night.  You 
shall  never  gather  again  in  this  city  as  we  have  been  doing 
in  our  Master's  service,  for  the  ranks  are  beginning  to 
thin,  the  standard-bearers  are  going.  But  it  is  a  joy  to 
remember  that  we  shall  meet  yonder,  in  the  morning, 
where  we  shall  see  the  face  of  our  blessed  Master  and 
dwell  in  his  presence  forever.  God  bless  you !  Amen." 


Mr.  Moody1  s  Address. 

After  singing  another  hymn  Mr.  Moody  spoke  as  fol- 
lows :  "  I  want  to  read  to  you  Esther  iv.  14 :  '  For  if  thou 
altogether  boldest  thy  peace  at  this  time,  then  shall  there 
enlargement  and  deliverance  arise  to  the  Jews  from  an- 
other place ;  but  thou  and  thy  father's  house  shall  be  de- 
stroyed :  and  who  knoweth  whether  thou  art  come  to  the 
kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  ? '  Little  did  we  think 
when  we  were  praying  three  or  four  years  ago  to  have  the 
Institute  right  close  to  this  church  that  we  would  have 


210  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

sucli  an  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  world  as 
we  have  had  during  the  last  six  months.  We  would  not 
have  been  able  to  do  the  work  that  we  have  done  during 
the  last  six  months  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  Institute, 
with  its  three  hundred  workers  gathered  from  every  part 
of  the  country.  Whenever  we  have  started  the  work  at 
any  point  we  have  had  force  enough  to  go  right  in  and 
give  it  a  good  start.  I  think  it  would  have  been  utterly 
impossible  to  have  carried  on  this  work  without  the  Bible 
Institute.  Perhaps  God  raised  it  up  for  this  very  time, 
as  Esther  was  raised  up  for  the  time  of  her  people's  peril 
and  need. 

"  When  we  commenced  this  work  six  months  ago  it  was 
with  some  fears.  The  question  was,  Could  we  reach  the 
people  who  were  ^coming  up  to  attend  the  World's  Fair  ? 
Would  they  have  the  time  or  any  heart  for  religious  ser- 
vices? The  impression  was  that  they  would  be  under 
such  heavy  expenses  that  they  would  rush  right  through 
the  city,  and  we  would  not  get  a  chance  to  speak  to  them. 
But  God  has  outdone  all  our  expectation.  The  great 
trouble  has  been  with  ourselves.  To-day  we  should  have 
had  every  theater.  Instead  of  having  only  the  Music  Hall 
and  the  Willard  Hall,  we  should  have  had  them  all.  I 
have  upbraided  myself  all  the  afternoon  that  I  was  so 
stupid.  God  has  gone  away  beyond  our  faith.  When 
the  financial  crash  came  and  men  began  to  be  troubled,  I 
did  not  know  where  the  money  was  coming  from  to  carry 
on  the  work,  and  one  day  I  was  quite  cast  down,  when  a 
despatch  came  from  the  little  town  of  Northfield  which 
said  they  were  sending  ten  thousand  dollars.  It  looked 
as  if  it  had  come  out  of  the  ground.  Our  account  at  the 
bank  has  been  overdrawn  three  thousand  dollars,  but  the 
money  has  come ;  I  do  not  know  where  it  has  come  from ; 
I  cannot  tell  you ;  but  it  has  come.  The  flour  barrel  has 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  211 

been  pretty  near  empty  every  now  and  then,  but  the  flour 
has  kept  coming. 

"  It  is  remarkable,  too,  what  weather  we  have  had  dur- 
ing the  last  six  months.  We  have  had  hardly  any  rain. 
It  rained  one  Sunday  morning,  but  it  cleared  off  so  that 
we  did  not  have  to  use  an  umbrella.  I  had  some  fears 
about  cholera;  but  I  said,  If  we  do  have  it  we  cannot  run, 
we  will  face  it ;  but  thank  God,  we  have  had  no  disease. 
Death  has  been  kept  away  from  our  workers,  and  every 
man  and  woman  has  kept  at  work.  In  fact,  the  Lord  has 
been  better  to  us  than  we  deserve ;  we  cannot  praise  him 
enough. 

"  And  what  a  grand  privilege  we  have  had  to  preach 
the  gospel,  not  only  to  our  own  great  Republic,  but  to 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  And  I  believe  down  deep  in  my 
heart  that  the  best  six  months  that  Chicago  has  ever  seen 
have  been  the  last  six  months.  There  has  been  some  dis- 
appointment; the  whisky  men  have  not  sold  as  much 
whisky  as  they  expected,  and  a  great  many  of  them  are 
very  much  disappointed.  I  thank  God  that  their  business 
suffered.  I  pray  God  to  bless  them,  every  one,  and  smash 
up  their  business.  I  believe  there  is  something  better 
than  selling  whisky,  and  I  wish  every  man  of  them  out  of 
it.  I  want  to  say  that  I  believe  firmly  that  if  the  Church 
of  God  would  unite  and  pray  and  work  we  would  smash 
up  the  whisky  business.  We  want  to  close  up  the  whis- 
ky shops  of  Chicago.  If  prayer  kept  people  from  going 
to  the  World's  Fair  on  Sunday,  let  us  believe  that  God  can 
keep  people  from  going  to  the  whisky  shops. 

"  I  want  to  say  that  things  look  brighter  to-night  than 
they  did  six  months  ago,  when  we  came  into  this  church 
and  set  the  work  in  motion ;  and  it  has  spread  not  only 
over  the  city,  but  over  the  nation.  God  has  been  with 
us ;  the  shout  has  been  heard  in  the  camp  for  the  last  six 


212  WORLD'S  FAIR    CAMPAIGN 

months.  I  praise  God  with  all  my  heart  for  the  band  of 
workers  that  has  been  sent  us — from  Australia,  from 
France,  from  Germany,  from  Scotland,  from  Ireland,  from 
England,  and  every  city  in  this  Republic.  I  thank  God 
we  have  worked  in  perfect  harmony — Baptists,  Methodists, 
Presbyterians,  Congregationalists,  Lutherans,  and  I  don't 
know  what — we  are  all  mixed  up — I  do  not  know  what 
we  are !  I  do  hope  that  you  Christian  people  here  in  Chi- 
cago will  just  take  up  the  work  and  hang  right  on  to  it. 

"  Before  I  forget  it,  I  want  to  say  that  any  of  you  Chris- 
tian young  men  can  get  a  room  free  of  rent,  right  along 
through  the  winter,  if  you  want  to  give  your  nights  to 
Christian  work.  And  if  you  want  to  give  your  whole  life 
to  Christian  work,  you  can  find  out  whether  you  have  any 
fitness  for  it.  I  believe  that  hundreds  of  men  have  got  a 
gift  for  the  work,  and  do  not  know  that  it  is  in  them.  It 
has  to  be  brought  to  light.  I  do  not  think  a  man  at  the 
age  of  twenty  can  tell  what  he  can  do  for  God  until  he  is 
tested  in  the  work.  Some  men  are  always  coming  around 
asking  me  what  I  think  they  ought  to  be.  I  cannot  tell 
what  your  gifts  are.  We  started  this  Institute  to  develop 
and  show  what  they  were  fitted  for.  If  you  "are  adapted 
to  house-to-house  work,  you  will  find  it  out ;  if  you  are 
adapted  to  visiting  the  sick,  you  will  find  it  out ;  if  you  are 
adapted  to  going  into  the  byways  and  hedges,  to  speaking 
on  the  streets ;  if  you  are  adapted  to  evangelistic  work — 
you  can  find  it  out  after  being  in  the  Institute  about  six 
months.  Here  is  a  pretty  good  opportunity  for  some  of 
you  young  men  here  to  put  your  winter  evenings  into 
Christian  work.  I  will  tell  you  that  if  God  does  call  you 
into  this  work,  you  could  not  go  into  a  better  business. 
The  greatest  struggle  I  ever  had  in  this  city  was  as  to 
whether  I  should  give  up  business  and  go  into  Christian 
work.  I  thought  selling  boots  and  shoes  the  most  impor- 


TO  ITS  CLOSE  213 

tant  thing ;  but,  thank  God,  I  have  put  the  world  under 
my  feet,  business  and  everything  else  !  And  I  have  never 
seen  a  moment  since  God  took  me  out  of  business  that  I 
ever  regretted  it. 

"If  God  opens  the  door  for  you,  you  go  in.  What 
would  Moses  have  lost  if  he  had  not  gone  to  Egypt  when 
God  called  him  !  What  would  Elijah  have  lost  if  he  had 
not  gone  to  Horeb  when  God  called  him !  What  would 
Daniel  have  lost  if  he  had  not  taken  a  stand  when  he  went 
into  Babylon !  My  friends,  take  your  stand  for  God  and 
say,  Here,  Lord,  if  you  want  me  to  go  into  your  work,  I 
am  ready,  and  if  you  want  me  to  stay  in  business,  I  am 
ready." 

McNeilPs  Farewell  Sermon. 

After  Mr.  Towner  and  Mr.  Burke  had  each  sung  a  solo, 
and  Mr.  Moody  had  led  in  prayer,  the  Rev.  John  McNeill 
was  introduced  and  proceeded  to  preach  the  sermon  of  the 
evening,  which  was  to  be  also  his  farewell  message  to  Chi- 
cago, after  his  long,  faithful,  effective  labors  in  the  city. 
"  I  remember,"  said  he,  "  the  night  that  I  stood  here,  six 
months  ago.  I  had  a  little  feeling  of  homesickness;  but 
I  have  a  different  feeling  to-night  in  looking  back.  How 
God  has  kept  and  sustained  and  blessed  us  !  I  said  in  the 
Music  Hall  to-day,  and  I  feel  it  to-night  again — I  am  not 
good  at  making  farewell  speeches,  and  I  am  not  going  to 
tiy.  And  yet  I  want  to  say  just  a  word  as  to  how  glad 
and  thankful  I  am  that  I  was  permitted  to  come  and  bear 
a  small  part  in  God's  work  here.  There  have  been  diffi- 
culties and  trials,  and  I  have  been  made  to  feel  that  if  it 
had  not  been  the  Lord's  work  I  would  not  have  stuck  in ; 
but  it  is  the  Lord's  work.  He  has  graciously  manifested 
himself  among  us,  opened  doors  for  us,  and  given  us  health 
and  strength  to  enter  in.  I  have  been  longing  to  be  back 


214  WORLD'S  FAIE   CAMPAIGN 

on  the  other  side ;  but  it  would  have  been  a  positive  sin, 
as  well  as  weakness,  if  I  had  allowed  it  to  draw  me  away 
from  such  a  Master  and  such  co-workers." 

With  these  and  other  preliminary  words  the  speaker 
came  to  the  theme  of  his  sermon,  "  Working  out  salva- 
tion/' based  on  Philippians  ii.  12.  "  Paul,"  said  he,  "  had 
been  working  among  the  Philippians,  as  Moody  and  the 
rest  of  us  have  been  working  among  the  people  of  Chicago 
and  the  World's  Fair  people,  and  after  working  for  a  while 
he  passed  off  and  wrote  a  letter  back.  He  seems  to  have 
heard  that  these  Philippians  were  very  fond  of  him  and 
were  missing  him,  and  they  were  saying  to  themselves 
that  it  seemed  to  be  easier  to  believe,  and  easier  to  live 
the  life  of  faith,  to  resist  one's  own  rebellious  flesh,  and 
fight  the  battle  of  temptation  and  sin  when  Paul  was  with 
them.  But  now  Paul  is  away,  and  there  is  a  kind  of  dul- 
ness  and  heaviness  and  f aintness  coming  in.  l  Wherefore, 
my  beloved/  he  said,  '  not  as  in  my  presence  only,  but 
much  more  in  my  absence,  work  out  your  own  salvation.' 
Not  hanging  hands  and  trembling  knees,  but  'much  more/ 
now  that  we  are  separated.  It  has  been  a  blessed  time  in 
Chicago,  but  let  none  of  us,  now  that  it  is  over,  hang  our 
heads  and  sorrow  and  mourn.  It  has  been  blessed  to  be 
here,  but  it  is  blessed  all  the  way.  The  Lord  is  always 
with  us.  Moody  passes  on ;  Varley  passes  on ;  Munhall 
passes  on ;  McNeill  passes  on ;  but '  it  is  God  that  worketh 
in  you  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure.'  We  part 
in  God's  name ;  we  met  in  God's  name ;  and  we  will  meet 
again  in  God's  name.  What  blessed  service  it  is  while 
we  are  together,  while  we  are  in  each  other's  presence  as 
we  are  to-night,  though  we  soon  part.  What  a  blessed 
service  is  the  service  of  Christ — what  a  glorious  opportu- 
nity to  talk  of  him  daily  !  How  sweet  to  preach  and  pray 
and  unite  in  praise  and  worship  in  speaking  and  hearing ! 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  215 

How  rapidly  the  working-hours  in  these  days  of  service 
pass!  How  rapidly  the  closing  hour,  the  time  of  rest, 
draws  nigh,  when  all  the  faithful  shall  be  gathered  home, 
a  joyful  company,  home  where  the  Master  is,  and  see  his 
blessed  servants  !  Paul  and  his  Philippiaiis  have  long  ago 
met  to  part  no  more.  This  is  in  store  for  Moody  and  all 
of  us  in  this  campaign.  Now,  then,  the  Lord's  command 
is  upon  each  of  us,  that  'much  more/  in  each  other's 
absence,  we  should  i  work  out  our  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling.' 

"  I  sometimes  think  that  this  verse  receives  its  fullest 
emphasis  by  taking  it  from  Paul's  mouth  and  putting  it 
into  Christ's.  We  hear  it  as  coming  not  from  Paul  the 
servant,  but  from  Christ  the  great  Master  within  the  veil 
as  he  looks  down  on  us,  speaking  to  our  hearts,  l  Where- 
fore, my  beloved,  not  as  in  my  presence  only,  but  now 
much  more  in  my  absence,  work  out  your  own  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling;  for  I  have  disappeared  from 
your  eye,  but  I  am  reappearing  in  your  hearts,  I  am  work- 
ing in  you  to  will  and  to  do  my  good  pleasure.'  You 
have  not  seen  Jesus,  because  Jesus  is  not  here  in  the  flesh ; 
but  it  is  expedient  for  us  that  he  be  away,  therefore  in 
God's  name  let  us  be  up  and  at  it ;  not  less,  but  more,  be- 
cause Christ's  person  is  removed  from  us,  let  us  realize 
Christ's  presence  within  us,  the  spring  and  energy  for  life 
and  godliness,  until  he  shall  appear  and  faith  be  lost  in 
sight. 

"  Now,  just  a  word  to  somebody  here  who  may  be  in  a 
puzzle  about  this  text.  I  can  imagine  some  man  here  say- 
ing, i  McNeill,  what  about  that  text,  "  Work  out  your  own 
salvation  "  ? '  Well,  my  friend,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ? 
Perhaps  you  mean  that  this  text  denies  that  salvation  is 
a  work  of  God  ?  There  is  no  such  thing  taught  in  the 
Bible.  Salvation  needs  to  become  your  own.  Unless  you 


216  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

take  salvation  as  a  free  gift  from  the  hand  with  the  nail- 
hole  in  it,  you  are  not  saved  yet,  and  it  is  about  time  you 
knew  it ;  and  you  had  better  be  saved  just  as  quickly  as 
you  can.  A  salvation  not  by  works,  but  a  salvation  by 
simple  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  best  kind  of  a  salvation 
for  a  Chicago  man ;  isn't  it  ?  The  quickest  salvation  is 
the  best ;  and  there  is  only  one  salvation :  the  salvation 
summed  up  in  two  words,  '  come '  and  '  take ' — God  gives 
and  I  take.  Then  I  am  ready  for  anything.  You  may 
fill  me  with  bullets  if  I  have  accepted  Christ's  salvation ; 
you  simply  do  me  a  good  turn,  you  send  me  home.  You 
try  to  kill  a  Christian,  try  to  spite  a  saved  man,  a  man 
trusting  as  a  poor  sinner  everything  to  Christ  Jesus — it 
is  very  much  like  trying  to  spite  a  ship  by  launching  it. 
A  ship,  although  built  on  the  land,  is  meant  for  the  ocean ; 
and  the  believer,  although  he  begins  down  here,  is  meant 
for  heaven,  and  blessed  is  the  instrument  or  shot  that 
sends  him  to  his  true  and  eternal  home.  Take  God's  sal- 
vation as  a  free  gift,  and  it  is  your  own ;  then  work  out 
your  own  salvation.  All  you  do  is  to  take  it  as  a  free 
gift,  and  then  it  is  your  own ;  then  you  can  work  it  out. 

"  I  have  nothing  that  I  can  call  my  own  but  my  sin  and 
my  guilt,  my  wretchedness  and  my  misery.  That  is  the 
only  thing  that  is  my  own.  Is  my  property  my  own  ?  A 
man  walks  abroad  to-day  and  says,  '  This  is  my  property, 
this  is  my  own ; '  and  that  very  night  there  is  a  fire,  and 
his  property  goes  up  in  a  fiery  chariot  and  comes  down  in 
a  shower  of  soot.  How  can  that  be  if  you  can  call  your 
property  your  own?  Another  man  says,  'My  wealth  is 
my  own.  See  that  pile — that  is  mine.'  But  a  man's 
wealth  is  not  his  own  in  any  real  sense  of  possession. 
The  bank  breaks,  and  where  is  your  money  ?  Riches  take 
to  themselves  wings  and  fly  away,  and  they  do  not  leave 
any  message  as  to  where  they  went.  My  own !  My  wife 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  217 

my  own !  Sure,  that  is  your  own.  But  how  uncertain  it 
is !  Some  day  he  walks  broken-hearted  behind  her  coffin. 
How  does  that  happen,  if  I  can  say  'my  own'  in  any 
real  sense  of  possession?  My  friend  is  mine;  but  who 
has  not  lost  his  friend  ?  I  am  coming  closer.  My  own, 
my  first-born  child — a  new,  complete  baby — the  latest 
thing  in  babies !  And  the  happy  mother  says,  '  Surely 
this  is  my  own.'  But  wliile  she  hugs  her  first-born  baby, 
that  mysterious  power  called  death  comes  in  between  the 
babe  and  the  bosom,  and  hug  it  as  she  may,  she  loses  her 
treasure.  She  has  at  last  to  bury  her  dead  out  of  her 
sight. 

"  But  to  return  to  my  text — my  own  salvation.  Hear 
that,  devil !  My  own  salvation !  The  thing  which  by 
nature  I  have  no  right  or  title  to.  Blessed  be  God,  it  is 
the  only  thing  that  is  absolutely  my  own !  My  own  sal- 
vation— that  the  grip  of  death  shall  not  unclasp.  Death 
will  only  give  Jesus  and  the  believer  completely  and'finally 
to  each  other.  My  own  salvation,  because  it  is  a  free  gift, 
a  gift  from  God.  And  when  God  gives  it  he  will  never 
take  it  back.  Accept  salvation  as  God  offers  it.  The 
gift  of  God  is  eternal  life.  Take  it,  and  then  you  are 
ready  for  my  text, '  Work  out  your  own  salvation.'  But 
until  it  is  your  own  you  cannot  make  anything  out  of 
Paul's  injunction.  After  accepting  salvation  as  a  free  gift 
from  God,  I  discover  that  I  am  in  for  it.  I  am  gloriously 
in  for  it.  That  is  the  gift  you  are  to  work  out.  It  is  the 
only  gift  that  will  work  out.  The  moment  I  accept  Jesus 
Christ,  God's  gift  to  my  guilty,  perishing  soul,  I  will  work 
it  out.  Many  a  gift  will  not  'work  out.'  Let  me  give 
an  illustration :  there  is  a  gift  that  some  people  get — a 
beautiful  clock.  Ministers  often  get  clocks-  from  their 
congregation.  I  never  got  one  yet,  but  no  doubt  it  is 
coming.  The  deacon  or  the  elder  presents  the  gift,  and 


218  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

the  minister  is  so  pleased  that  he  turns  everything  upside 
down.  He  does  not  value  it  for  its  cost  or  its  workman- 
ship, but  for  what  it  represents — love  and  affection.  There 
seems  to  be  a  halo  around  about  it.  That  is  what  gives 
it  its  value.  I  can  imagine  the  minister  and  his  wife 
gathered  around  the  clock  as  it  stands  on  the  mantelpiece. 
His  wife  says  it  is  such  a  lovely  thing ;  she  rubs  her  hands 
as  she  looks  at  it.  Lovely !  gold  and  silver  and  filigree 
work.  It  tells  the  days  of  the  month ;  it  tells  the  month ; 
it  tells  the  weather ;  very  fine ;  but  it  does  not  always  tell 
you  what  o'clock  it  is.  But  there  it  stands,  and  it  works 
out.  But  the  best  gifts  stop ;  they  come  to  an  end.  Chil- 
dren will  get  sick,  and  the  husband  and  wife  will  not 
think  to  stand  before  that  gift-clock  and  get  encourage- 
ment. The  clock  will  come  to  a  dead  stand,  and  maybe 
the  minister  and  his  congregation  will  begin  to  differ  by 
and  by.  The  gift  will  work  out  no  more.  It  comes  to  an 
end.  And  all  earthly  gifts,  at  the  best,  come  to  an  end. 
But  this  salvation  will  work  out  and  expand  every  day 
you  live,  and  the  more  you  draw  upon  it  the  fuller  it 
becomes.  'Work  out  your  own  salvation.'  Oh,  what  a 
gift  Christ  is ! 

"  There  is  a  poor  miserable  backslider.  You  have  not 
exhausted  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  They  would 
not  be  unsearchable  if  you  could.  Come  back  to  Christ, 
and  you  will  find  him  as  full  to-night  as  ever.  Why  did 
you  ever  play  the  fool  and  leave  ?  You  say  you  have  a 
bad  temper.  I  am  glad  yon  admit  it.  Do  you  mean  it, 
now  ?  But  work  out  your  own  salvation  from  bad  temper. 
The  quicker  the  better.  You  say  you  have  a  secret  lust  that 
roars  at  you  like  a  lion ;  but  it  is  in  the  grace  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  break  the  very  lion's  strength.  '  Work  out  your 
own  salvation.' 

"  Now  let  us  get  on  to  the  command,  i  Work  out  your 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  219 

own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling.'  That  is  what  I 
wanted  to  get  at.  You  have  to  be  active.  God's  sover- 
eignty and  power  evoke  human  responsibility  and  activity. 
You  have  it,  therefore  w~ork  it  out.  To  use  a  common 
illustration  :  there  is  a  load  of  bricks  here,  a  load  of  tim- 
ber, and  some  slates.  That  is  not  a  house.  No ;  but  there 
is  the  making  of  one,  and  you  can  make  the  house  out  of 
it.  Now  the  Lord  lays  all  down  at  our  door ;  he  puts  it 
into  our  hearts ;  he  comes  with  the  plan  and  the  specifica- 
tion and  the  material,  and  says,  'Now  work  them  out.' 
Rise  to  the  work  j  you  have  got  to  build  a  temple  for  your 
God,  and  a  house  for  yourself  in  which  to  live  and  dwell 
forever 5  you  have  to  build  a  spiritual  house;  you  have 
got  to  raise  in  your  character  and  life  a  spiritual  fabric, 
a  copy  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — work  out  this  business. 
The  Greek  has  at  its  root  the  idea  of  '  energy.'  Oh,  what 
a  pulsing  word — energize  your  own  salvation.  Now  there 
are  just  a  number  of  people  needing  the  word  '  energize.' 
The  doctrines  are  lying  on  your  souls  like  great  un wrought 
lumps  of  dough  that  you  have  not  worked  out — I  speak 
to  housewives — and  no  man  can  feed  on  dough ;  it  will 
kill  him !  Many  of  you  are  dyspeptics,  feeding  on  gospel 
doctrine  that  you  have  not  kneaded  and  fired — and  I  don't 
know  what — but  you  understand  what  I  mean !  '  Work 
out  your  own  salvation.'  Get  up  now,  put  your  feet  be- 
low you,  fling  off  your  coat,  turn  up  your  sleeves,  and  go 
at  this  business  like  the  work  of  a  lifetime,  and  never  stop 
it,  this  work  of  saving  yourself,  if  I  may  be  as  contradic- 
tory as  the  Bible  is.  What  a  work  needs  to  be  done ! 
When  the  Lord  comes  to  me  in  all  the  light  of  his  saving 
grace  he  shows  me  what  to  do.  He  brings  all  with  him 
that  is  needed ;  but  I  am  not  to  be  lazy ;  I  am  not  to  lie 
back  and  do  nothing.  There  is  a  kind  of  teaching  of  the 
'higher  life'  abroad,  and  I  do  not  say  a  word  against 


220  WOBLirS  FAIR    CAMPAIGN 

higher  life  if  it  means  being  holier  and  working  out  your 
own  salvation  more  diligently.  But  there  is  a  kind  of 
teaching  abroad  that  is  too  passive.  Its  favorite  illustra- 
tion of  -the  fact  that  you  are  in  Christ,  and  Christ  is  in 
you,  is  the  sponge.  The  sponge  is  in  the  sea,  and  the  sea 
is  in  the  sponge,  and  there  you  are.  There  you  may  be, 
but  I  prefer  to  come  here.  '  Work  out  your  own  salva- 
tion with  fear  and  trembling.'  Work,  because,  as  the 
text  shall  afterward  show,  you  are  not  working  in  your 
own  strength ;  behind  all  your  energies  there  is  this  eter- 
nal mainspring  that  enables  you  to  work  easily,  swiftly, 
without  friction,  and  without  failure — '  God  worketh  in 
you  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure.' 

"  Now  you  know  what  to  do.  You  have  a  bad  temper 
— work  out  your  salvation.  You  are  getting  to  be  a  fair 
pest  in  the  house  because  of  this  temper.  You  are  not  to 
go  and  cuddle  up  this  temper  and  say,  '  I  am  a  child  of 
God,  though  I  have  a  little  infirmity.'  Be  saved  from 
your  infirmity,  O  sweet  child  of  God!  'I  do  believe,' 
says  another, '  I  am.  in  a  state  of  grace,  but  I  have  a  weak- 
ness for  a  dram.'  Save  yourself  from  that  weakness,  or, 
as  Christmas  is  coming,  you  may  be  as  drunk  as  any 
pagan !  Another  says, '  I  do  believe  that  I  am  saved,  but 
I  am  inconsistent.'  Well,  save  yourself  from  this  incon- 
sistency— work  out  your  own  salvation.  What  would 
you  think  of  the  man  who  went  about  with  his  hands  in 
his  pockets  whistling  and  joking  because  he  had  a  load 
of  bricks  and  stones  and  timber  lying  all  around  there, 
and  wanting  shelter  on  a  wintry  day,  he  creeps  under  the 
bricks  and  says,  '  This  is  my  house :  here  will  I  dwell '  ? 
Are  not  some  of  us  doing  so?  Why,  if  you  could  see 
your  spiritual  house  as  the  Lord  sees  it,  you  would  get  in 
an  awful  fright.  I  grant  the  house  has  a  foundation ;  if 
you  are  in  Christ  you  are  on  the  foundation,  and,  maybe, 


DK AWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  221 

there  is  a  wee  bit  of  the  first  course  of  masonry  beginning 
to  rise,  and  a  sort  of  indication  of  where  the  windows  are 
coming,  and  where  the  doors  are  to  be,  and  there  is  just 
a  faint  look  as  if  there  was  a  plan ;  but  ye  have  stopped, 
and  though  it  is  without  a  roof,  and  without  walls,  ye  are 
living  as  if  the  work  were  done.  O  man,  work  out  your 
own  salvation ! 

"  Up  to-day,  and  at  it.  So  we  built  the  wall,  says  Nehe- 
miah;  with  the  sword  in  the  one  hand  and  the  trowel 
in  the  other,  now  working,  now  fighting,  but  never  idle. 
1  Perfecting  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord ; '  '  Looking  diligently  lest  any  man  fail  of  the  grace 
of  God ; '  '  Giving  all  diligence,'  says  Peter,  '  add  to  your 
faith  virtue ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge ;  and  to  knowledge, 
temperance ;  and  to  temperance,  patience ;  and  to  patience, 
godliness ;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness ;  and  to 
brotherly  kindness,  love  itself.'  That  is  the  work  to  do. 
First  the  foundation,  and  then  all  these  rising  tiers  of 
solid,  graceful  masonry.  '  Work  out  your  own  salvation.' 

"  The  next  question  is,  How  1  Here  is  the  modus  operandi 
— '  with  fear  and  trembling.'  Do  not  make  the  mistake 
that  many  are  apt  to  make,  who  think  this  is  a  queer  text 
partly  because  it  calls  them  to  work,  and  partly  because 
it  says  'with  fear  and  trembling.'  They  have  made  it 
a  kind  of  gloomy  ogre,  and  do  not  like  to  come  near  it. 
It  is  like  this  dull,  foggy  time  of  the  year,  when  we  would 
rather  go  to  bed  like  the  bears,  and  sleep  through  it,  to 
wake  again  in  the  spring.  ( With  fear  and  trembling ' — 
what  does  it  mean  ?  It  does  not  mean  that  we  are  to  go 
through  life  with  our  knees  forever  smiting  each  other 
because  '  in  such  an  hour  as  we  think  not '  we  will  drop 
into  the  pit  again.  Many  take  that  meaning  out  of  it, 
and  that  paralyzes  work.  It  does  not  mean  a  fear  that 
brings  you  into  bondage,  which  brings  the  frost  and  chill 


222  WORLD1  S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

on  your  soul,  that  disjoins  you  from  the  almighty  re- 
sources of  the  Father's  love  and  the  Saviour's  grace  and 
the  Spirit's  sanctifying  power ;  but  the  fear  rather  which 
makes  you  work  sustainedly,  eagerly,  strenuously,  unfail- 
ingly. It  is  a  Bible  expression,  and  it  is  only  the  Bible 
which  can  expound  it;  it  occurs  in  no  other  literature 
under  heaven  except  as  a  quotation  from  this  old  Book. 
'  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling,' 
says  the  Scripture;  'Happy  [not  miserable]  is  the  man 
that  f eareth  alway ; '  '  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  begin- 
ning of  wisdom ; '  and  so  on.  Take  a  Bible  concordance 
and  look  down  all  the  passages  in  which  '  fear  and  trem- 
bling '  is  mentioned,  and  you  will  have  an  exposition  of 
Paul's  words  better  than  any  I  can  give. 

"  It  is  like  this :  salvation  is  full ;  salvation  is  free ;  it  is 
a  gift,  and  it  is  a  gift  from  God  without  repentance.  He 
will  never  change  his  mind.  '  That  is  just  where  it  will 
spoil  itself,  preacher,  don't  you  see?'  says  somebody. 
1  Men  will  take  this  salvation  that  is  in  Christ  with  eternal 
glory,  and  then  they  will  go  away  and  live  as  they  like. 
What  have  you  to  say  to  this  f '  Well,  ever  since  the  be- 
ginning the  advocates  of  my  gospel  have  just  had  to  say 
to  that,  '  It  is  not  the  fact.'  It  is  those  who  take  this  sal- 
vation as  the  free  gift  of  God  who  show  the  greatest  hatred 
of  sin  and  greatest  perseverance  in  striving  against  it. 
We  might  misuse  it  so — it  is  a  wonder  of  grace  that  we 
do  not,  but  we  do  not ;  and  if  any  man  here  says,  '  I  will 
take  this  eternal  salvation  and  will  go  away  and  wallow 
in  sin ' — you  '  evil  beast/  you  will  never  get  the  chance, 
never !  No  soul  thinks  thus  who  has  ever  been  made  the 
recipient  of  Divine  Grace,  none.  We  may  slip,  we  may 
go  back ;  but  we  will  be  ashamed  of  it,  suffer  for  it,  repent 
of  it,  and  return. 

" '  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 


DRAWING    TO  ITS   CLOSE  223 

bling.'  The  cup  of  salvation  is  so  full,  it  is  so  brimming, 
it  is  so  sweet,  that  it  would  be  '  too  sweet  to  be  whole- 
some ' ;  it  ivould  go  to  the  head  and  make  us  reel  and  stag- 
ger, and  become  unwatchful  and  hilarious,  and  defeat  its 
own  purpose.  But  wherever  Christ  gives  the  cup  of  sal- 
vation he  puts  in  an  infusion  of  these  tonic  bitters,  '  fear 
and  trembling,'  so  that  grace  may  not  cloy  and  clog. 
These  are  the  bitter  herbs  with  which  we  eat  our  Pass- 
over. The  more  freely  you  take  of  Christ,  the  more  care- 
ful you  become  in  life  and  conduct ;  the  more  you  look 
diligently,  the  more  you  walk  circumspectly,  looking  where 
to  put  your  foot  next,  for  it  is  a  dirty  world,  and  the  most 
careful  may  go  over  into  the  mud.  '  Walk  circumspectly, 
redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil.' 

"  It  is  like  the  ballast  to  the  ship.  You  have  seen  a  first- 
class  yacht,  a  thing  of  beauty,  and  almost  instinct  with 
life.  There  it  is ;  the  sea  is  sparkling  in  the  sun ;  there  is 
a  splendid,  crisp  breeze  blowing.  Watch  that  squall  of 
wind  as  it  strikes  the  yacht  with  its  great  mass  and 
breadth  of  canvas  that  would  do  for  the  mainsail  of  a 
man-of-war.  See  what  happens !  You  would  expect  the 
very  breadth  of  the  sheet  is  going  to  spoil  all.  That 
squall  will  strike  the  sail,  and  the  vessel  will  careen  and 
go  to  the  bottom.  Not  at  all :  that  squall  strikes  her,  and 
most  gracefully  she  yields  to  it  and  heels  over  on  to  her 
veiy  beam  end ;  but  look  at  the  cut- water.  See  how  she 
is  tearing  through !  For  deep  down  there  is  the  keel,  and 
a  great  weight  upon  it ;  in  these  modern  days  tons  of  lead 
are  run  along  the  keel ;  or,  as  in  your  country,  there  is  a 
great  center-board  sent  away  down  into  the  water  which 
gives  tremendous  leverage ;  and  no  matter  how  the  yacht 
heels  over,  it  holds  her  steady  and  prevents  disaster.  So 
with  religion:  spread  your  sails  to  the  gales  of  gospel 
grace ;  take  Christ  in  all  the  fulness  of  the  Father's  gift 


224  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMI'MCX 

as  he  is,  and  the  gospel  doctrines  will  not  sink  you ;  you 
will  not  grow  giddy  and  light-headed,  but  this  fear  and 
trembling  will  give  you  rest,  weight,  grip,  ballast,  solidity, 
and  you  will  urge  your  course  forward  across  these  seas 
of  time  and  sin  with  splendid  speed. 

"  It  is  just  like  what  you  have  when  a  man  has  been 
saved  who  was  drowning,  and  all  his  kicking  and  strug- 
gling were  only  hastening  it.  And  when  this  kicking  and 
struggling  were  over,  some  one  has  reached  from  above 
and  drawn  him  out,  and  there  he  stands  on  the  solid 
land,  saved.  Ah,  but  it  was  a  narrow  shave  !  Rejoicing, 
but  it  is  not  a  hilarious  rejoicing,  is  it?  He  is  not  crack- 
ing his  thumbs  and  jigging,  but  he  is  rejoicing  'with 
trembling.'  He  is  altogether  saved,  and  he  was  so  nearly 
altogether  lost.  Saved,  blessed  be  God,  saved ! — cannot 
some  man  shout  hallelujah  ? — saved,  but  no  thanks  to  us  ! 
He  sent  from  above  and  drew  us  and  landed  us  on  the 
rock.  We  are  saved,  therefore  we  rejoice  '  with  fear  and 
trembling,'  and  after  we  have  shaken  the  water  off  us, 
we  go  steadily,  calmly,  circumspectly,  never  forgetting 
that  if  it  had  not  been  for  Grace  we  must  have  perished. 

"  '  With  fear  and  trembling.'  Take  another  illustration. 
An  eminent  French  surgeon  used  to  say  to  his  students 
when  they  were  engaged  in  difficult  and  delicate  opera- 
tions, in  which  coolness  and  firmness  were  needed,  '  Gen- 
tlemen, don't  be  in  a  hurry,  for  there's  no  time  to  lose.' 
Time  to  make  that  incision  once  and  well  in  the  vital 
place,  not  time  to  dash  at  it  with  over-confidence.  Before 
you  have  recovered  yourself  a  precious  life  will  have  been 
spilled. 

"  So,  my  believing  brother  and  sister — I  do  not  care  what 
your  years  may  be — it  is  a  word  for  all  of  us  this  evening. 
Caution,  diligence,  a  girding  up  of  the  loins,  a  wider  open- 
ing of  the  eyes.  'Work  out  your  own  salvation  with 


DRAWING   TO  ITS   CLOSE  225 

fear  and  trembling ' — no  swagger,  no  bounce,  no  bravado, 
yet  every  confidence  that  He  who  hath  begun  this  good 
work  will  cany  it  on  to  the  perfect  day.  All  confidence 
in  Thee,  my  God,  and  none  in  myself ;  that  is  the  way  in 
which  I  do  the  best  work  toward  God  or  my  brother-man. 
Oh  for  sobriety  to-day !  How  many  converts  begin  and 
go  on,  and  then — then  comes  a  collapse.  There  are  some 
here :  you  were  converted,  and  with  what  splendid  speed 
you  began  the  Christian  course — you  did  run  well.  What 
did  hinder  you  ?  Ah !  it  is  not  the  distance,  but  the  pace 
that  tells.  You  started  off  at  too  big  a  pace  to  keep  it 
up ;  or,  rather,  you  got  away  from  your  base  of  supplies, 
and  you  soon  came  to  an  end  of  yourself.  It  is  just  a 
few  years  since  you  began  so  well ;  and  where  are  you 
to-day  ?  You  may  be  a  Christian — you  may  be ;  but  as 
regards  activity,  no  one  would  know  it.  Your  name  is 
not  found  on  the  rolls  of  any  Sabbath-school  superintend- 
ents in  Christendom:  not  one.  You  never  come  with 
tracts  now;  you  never  lift  up  a  word  of  testimony  for 
Christ  now,  and  this  is  what  spoiled  you.  Too  confident, 
you  began  in  the  Spirit,  and  you  went  on  in  the  flesh,  and 
that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh,  while  that  which 
is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  Spirit,  and  alone  will  endure  and 
grow  to  ah1  eternity.  Come  back,  then,  you  who  are  nerve- 
less and  strengthless ;  you  who  are  lying  down  in  the 
middle  of  the  course  long  before  you  have  reached  the 
end,  come  back  to  lowliness,  to  watchfulness,  to  self-dis- 
trust— <  work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling.' Only  one  life,  no  second  chance  forevermore ;  and 
into  this  one  life,  into  this  one  day,  we  are  to  crowd,  to 
pack  the  utmost  of  holy  living  in  every  direction  that  we 
possibly  can,  l  with  fear  and  trembling.' 

"I  have  left  myself  no  time  to  deal  with  the  thirteenth 
verse,  '  For  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you  j '  but  I  just 


226  WOULD' S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

wish  to  recite  it  before  I  let  you  go.  You  work  out,  as 
one  has  said ;  for  God  works  in.  There  is  the  mainspring, 
there  is  the  unfailing  Source,  of  all  the  believer's  energy 
for  sanctification,  and  for  personal  effort  in  the  Church 
of  Christ  to  promote  his  cause.  It  is  God  who  worketh 
in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure.  Then 
let  me  say  at  once,  we  can  be  holy,  we  shall  be  holy,  for 
it  is  God  who  worketh  in  us.  I  will  not  stay  even  for 
a  moment  to  discuss  the  question  of  sinless  perfection. 
That  is  not  your  danger.  Poor  drunkard,  thou  canst 
give  up  drink ;  lustful  man,  thou  canst  be  clean ;  for  it  is 
God,  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you.  Do  not  be  a  football 
of  the  world,  of  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  for  it  is  God  that 
worketh  in  you.  What  tremendous  emphasis  we  should 
bring  to  bear  on  that  text !  After  all  this  calling  on  you 
to  energy  and  to  activity,  I  know  that  perhaps  I  depress 
you,  for  you  said  to  yourself,  'Ah !  it  is  true,  it  is  all  true ; 
but  what  can  I  do  ? '  Now  we  come  back  to  the  Power : 
'  It  is  God ; '  and  what  can  he  not  do  if  you  will  only  let 
him  ?  God  is  the  Source.  See  how  he  puts  it.  It  is  God 
that  worketh  in  you.  How  ?  Listen :  '  both  to  will  and 
to  do.'  The  first  thing  is  to  get  the  will  right,  and  then 
the  deed,  don't  you  see,  will  follow.  Is  it  not  your  com- 
plaint and  mine  that  the  will  is  wrong,  the  will  is  twisted, 
the  will  has  been  led  captive  by  the  devil?  There  are 
times  when  we  can  all  enter  into  poor  Augustine's  com- 
plaint, '  Lord,  I  began  to  love  thee  too  late :  the  devil  was 
too  long  in  me,  the  will  got  too  much  twisted,  for  although 
my  heart  goes  after  thee,  my  ivill — that  is  the  mainspring, 
that  is  the  rudder  that  turns  the  boat  ofttimes  as  I  do  not 
want  it  to  go.'  God  has  gone  down  and  down  and  down, 
deeper  than  the  devil ;  God  has  bottomed  thy  will,  and 
got  down  to  the  very  spring  of  being ;  down  at  the  spring 
and  fount  of  thought  and  wish  and  imagination  and  effort, 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SIXTEEN  QUESTIONS  ANSWERED. 

AFTER  the  conclusion  of  his  work  in  Chicago,  the  writer 
submitted  to  Mr.  Moody  a  series  of  questions  pertaining 
thereto,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  his  own  statements 
on  certain  points,  to  be  used  in  this  book,  with  the  follow- 
ing result : 

1.  You  have  been  in  Chicago  from  the  opening  of  the 
World's  Fair  to  its  close..    Do  you  think  it  has  been,  on 
the  whole,  a  real  benefit  to  the  city,  the  country,  and  the 
world  ?    Has  it  promoted  the  highest,  truest  interests  of 
the  people  ? 

Answer.  I  think  the  Fair  has  been  a  great  intellectual 
and  material  advantage  to  this  land  and  to  the  world. 

2.  What,  in  your  judgment,  are  the  best  results  that 
have  come  from  the  Fair  ? 

Answer.  The  best  results  that  have  come  from  the  Fair 
are :  first,  the  education  it  has  afforded  the  common  people ; 
second,  the  broadening  of  our  sympathies. 

3.  When  and  how  did  the  thought  and  plan  of  this  work 
suggest  itself  to  you  ? 

Answer.  The  plan  of  the  World's  Fair  Gospel  Campaign 
suggested  itself  about  as  soon  as  it  was  decided  to  bring 
the  Fair  to  Chicago. 

4.  Have  your  plans  been  fully  carried  out,  and  your 
expectations  realized  ? 

229 


230  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

Answer.  My  plans,  as  thought  out  before  the  opening 
of  the  campaign,  have  been  enlarged  and  broadened  as 
the  work  went  on,  and  my  highest  expectations  have  been 
more  than  realized. 

5.  What  are  the  principal  results  of  the  six  months' 
work? 

Answer.  The  principal  result  of  our  six  months'  work 
is,  that  millions  have  heard  the  simple  gospel  preached  by 
some  of  the  most  gifted  preachers  in  the  world ;  thousands 
have  apparently  been  genuinely  converted  to  Christ,  and 
Christians  all  over  this  land  have  been  brought  to  a  deeper 
spiritual  life  and  aroused  to  more  active  Christian  effort 
for  the  salvation  of  others;  fires  have  been  kindled  in 
many  parts  of  this  land  as  a  result  of  the  summer  cam- 
paign. 

6.  Have  you  learned  any  new  lessons  or  suggestions 
about  Christian  work  from  your  experience  and  observa- 
tion during  the  six  months'  labors  ? 

Answer.  I  have  learned  that  the  summer,  so  far  from 
being  the  worst,  is  the  best  time  to  carry  on  Christian 
work  in  our  cities.  I  have  learned  also  to  appreciate 
more  than  ever  the  power  that  there  is  in  concentrated 
and  united  Christian  action.  I  have  been  impressed  with 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  Christian  people  of  the  land  that 
take  an  interest  in  and  patronize  such  expositions  as  the 
World's  Fair. 

7.  Would  such  an  extensive,  long-continued  series  of 
gospel  meetings  be  practicable  and  advisable  at  other 
times  and  places  ? 

Answer.  A  gospel  campaign  carried  out  on  extensive 
plans  such  as  that  in  Chicago  this  summer  I  believe  would 
be  practicable  and  advisable  in  other  large  cities  even 
where  there  was  no  fair. 

8.  Could  such  meetings  be  made  a  success  without  ex- 


SIXTEEN  QUESTIONS  ANSWERED  231 

traordinaiy  men  as  one  of  the  attractions  to  draw  the 
people  ? 

Answer.  In  order  that  such  meetings  should  be  a  suc- 
cess, the  men  most  gifted  in  preaching  the  gospel  that  can 
be  secured  should  be  obtained. 

9.  After  such  extraordinary  labors  as  yours,  and  after 
the  visiting  multitudes  have  left  the  city,  do  you  think  the 
churches  should  resume  and  continue  their  usual  order 
and  methods  of  work  and  service  ? 

Answer.  I  believe  that  now,  since  the  special  effort  is 
over  and  the  visiting  multitudes  have  left  the  city,  the 
churches  should  continue  their  usual  order  and  methods 
of  work  and  service,  only  with  more  aggressiveness  and 
increased  effort. 

10.  Everybody  will  doubtless  agree  with  you  that  great 
good  has  been  done  through  your  meetings,  especially  to 
the  tens  of  thousands  from  afar  who  came  hither;  but 
will  there  not  necessarily  be  a  reaction  after  the  crowds 
have  gone  and  the  extraordinary  efforts  have  ceased? 

Answer.  So  far  as  there  being  a  reaction  after  the  crowds 
have  gone,  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  increased 
spiritual  life  in  many  of  the  churches  and  a  great  outlook 
for  the  coming  winter. 

11.  What  do  you  consider  to  be  the  most  effective 
agency,  or  agencies,  in  the  prosecution  of  your  campaign  ? 

Answer.  The  most  effective  agencies  in  the  prosecution 
of  our  campaign  were  the  preaching  and  singing  of  the 
old  gospel  and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

12.  After  the  six  months'  experience  of  gospel  meetings 
in  connection  with  the  Bible  Institute,  do  you  find  any 
reason  to  change  or  modify  the  course  of  instruction  or 
training  there  ? 

Answer.  After  this  six  months'  experience  I  find  no  rea- 
son to  essentially  change  or  modify  the  course  of  instruc- 


232  WOULD 'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

tion  and  training  of  the  Bible  Institute.  I  am  more  than 
ever  convinced  that  we  are  on  right  lines,  and  that  what 
is  needed  are  men  and  women  trained  in  the  knowledge 
and  practical  use  of  the  Word  of  God  and  in  the  use  of 
their  voices  in  gospel  song. 

13.  What  effect  has  the  campaign  had  upon  the  Bible 
Institute  ? 

Answer.  As  to  the  effect  of  the  campaign  on  the  Bible 
Institute,  it  has  deepened  the  love  for  souls  and  earnest- 
ness in  Christian  effort  of  the  students;  has  made  them 
more  than  ever  convinced  that  it  is  the  preaching  of  the 
old  gospel  that  draws  men  and  lifts  them  up,  and  has 
given  them  the  advantage  of  contact  with  the  very  best 
preachers  in  the  world. 

14.  Will  you  gratify  a  curious  public  by  stating  what 
has  been  the  aggregate  expense  of  'your  entire  six  months' 
labors  ? 

Answer.  The  entire  expense  of  the  six  months'  labor, 
exclusive  of  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  Institute,  was 
$60,000,  and  $40,000  to  enlarge  the  buildings  before  the 
time  of  the  campaign. 

15.  Do  you  mind  telling  how  those  enormous  expenses 
have  been  provided  for  ? 

Answer.  These  expenses  were  provided  for  by  the  gifts 
of  generous  Christian  individuals  and  societies  all  over 
the  United  States,  England,  and  Canada.  Some  of  this 
money  was  given  in  answer  to  personal  appeals,  and  some 
without  any  suggestion  from  me ;  but  now  that  the  cam- 
paign is  over  we  are  very  close  pressed  for  funds,  as  peo- 
ple have  made  an  effort  to  help  us  through  this  special 
campaign. 

16.  What  assurance,  if  any,  did  you  have,  at  the  begin- 
ning, that  the  means  would  be  provided  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work  ? 


SIXTEEX  QUESTIONS  ANSWERED  233 

Answer.  The  only  assurance  that  I  had  in  thinking  that 
the  necessary  means  for  the  work  would  be  provided  was 
that  I  knew  the  work  ought  to  be  done,  and  I  knew  that 
we  had  a  God  who  would  always  sustain  us  in  doing  what 
we  ought  to  do. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
TORREY'S  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW. 

THERE  is  no  other  participant  with  Mr.  Moody  in  the 
work  described  in  these  pages  who  is  more  competent  to 
give  both  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  whole  grand  movement 
and  an  interior  view  and  just  estimate  of  it,  than  Rev.  R.  A. 
Torrey,  the  superintendent  of  the  Bible  Institute.  He 
was  at  the  front  and  in  the  thick  of  the  battle,  and  in  the 
inner  circle  of  its  councils,  from  first  to  last,  himself  bear- 
ing with  the  commander-in-chief  the  burdens  of  its  care 
and  the  responsibilities  of  leadership.  On  the  occasion 
of  the  recent  eighth  session  of  the  Christian  Workers'  Con- 
vention of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  in  Atlanta,  Ga., 
Mr.  Torrey  gave  a  masterly  account  of  the  movement, 
focused  in  one  view,  which  will  fitly  serve  as  part  of  the 
conclusion  of  this  fragmentary  history  of  a  work  fully 
known  only  to  the  God  of  the  harvest.  Mr.  Torrey  spoke 
as  follows : 

"  I  am  to  speak  to  you  upon  the  World's  Fair  City  Evan- 
gelization Campaign.  It  was  a  great  privilege  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  that  campaign.  I  do  not  think  that  any  of 
us  who  enjoyed  that  privilege  will  ever  forget  it.  It  is 
also  a  privilege  to  be  able  to  tell  you  very  briefly  the  story 
of  that  campaign,  which,  perhaps,  stands  alone  in  history 
as  an  organized  attempt  by  the  forces  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  a  great  city  in  a  time  of  great  excitement. 

11  The  campaign,  as  I  presume  most  of  you  know,  orig- 

234 


TOltREY'S  BIRD'S-EYE   VIEW  235 

inated  in  the  heart  and  brain  of  Mr.  Moody.  Mr.  Moody 
is  so  constituted  by  grace  that  he  cannot  see  a  great  crowd 
or  hear  of  a  great  crowd  without  longing  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  them,  and  so  when  he  heard  of  the  vast  crowds 
that  were  gathered  in  Chicago  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
it  seemed  to  him  there  was  just  one  place  in  which  to 
spend  the  summer,  and  that  was  Chicago.  He  determined 
to  go  there  and  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
get  all  the  noted  preachers  he  could — or,  rather,  all  the 
preachers  that  God  had  peculiarly  blessed  in  preaching 
the  Word  of  God — to  go  there  with  him.  His  idea  was 
that  hitherto  he  had  been  going  to  the  world,  and  that 
now  the  world  was  coming  to  him.  He  thought  he  would 
make  one  great  attempt  to  reach  the  people  from  all  parts 
of  the  earth,  as  they  should  come  to  Chicago  to  see  the 
Fair,  with  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  Very  many 
people  thought  the  idea  was  visionary.  They  said  that 
people  would  come  to  Chicago  to  see  the  Fair,  that  they 
would  be  there  under  large  expense,  that  they  would  try 
to  get  away  as  soon  as  possible,  and  therefore  they  would 
spend  all  their  time  at  the  Fair  seeing  what  they  could 
there.  They  pointed  to  the  experience  of  past  World's 
Fairs.  They  said  that  Philadelphia,  for  example,  at  the 
time  of  the  Exposition,  instead  of  being  a  place  where 
there  was  unusual  spiritual  interest,  was  a  place  where 
there  was  unusual  spiritual  deadness  and  lack  of  interest. 
They  pointed  also  to  the  Exposition  of  Paris,  and  said  the 
same  attempt  had  been  made  there  and  failed.  There 
seemed  to  be  good  ground  for  these  forebodings.  We 
investigated  the  facts  about  the  theaters,  and  we  found 
the  leading  opera  troupes  were  fighting  shy  of  Chicago ; 
and  they  showed  their  wisdom,  for  in  point  of  fact  when 
they  did  open  the  theaters  they  had  to  shut  them  again, 
because  they  could  not  get  anybody  to  go  to  see  the  great- 


236  WORLDS  FAIE   CAMPAIGN 

est  attractions  in  the  theatrical  line.  Some  ministers  of 
excellent  judgment  said,  '  Mr.  Moody  for  once  has  made 
a  mistake.'  But  we  shall  see  that  it  was  not  a  mistake. 
He  thought  he  was  led  of  God,  and  had  faith  that  God 
would  bless  this  attempt  of  his  servant,  and  God  did. 

"  Just  a  word  about  the  forces  that  were  rallied  there 
in  Chicago.  First  of  all  there  was  Mr.  Moody  himself, 
then  John  McNeill  of  London,  who  was  with  us  the  entire 
six  months,  except  the  first  two  weeks.  Then  there  were 
with  us  noted  men  from  England,  and  some  of  the  best 
known  men  from  this  country.  •  Some  of  the  men  God 
blessed  most  came  from  the  South — two  men  from  Mary- 
land, Mr.  Dixon  and  Mr.  Wharton,  upon  whose  preaching 
God  set  his  seal  in  a  special  way,  and  two  from  Texas, 
and  one  from  North  Carolina  whom  God  singularly  blessed. 
There  were  perhaps  fifty  noted  preachers  from  different 
parts  of  the  world ;  Dr.  Pindor  was  there  from  Austria, 
Dr.  Stoecker  from  Berlin,  Rev.  Theodore  Monod  from 
Paris,  and  others  from  other  parts  of  Europe.  We  not 
only  looked  to  preachers,  but  we  looked  to  the  singing  of 
the  gospel  as  well.  Mr.  Stebbins  was  with  us  almost  the 
entire  summer,  Mr.  Sankey,  Mr.  Towner,  and  many  others 
of  the  best  known  gospel  singers. 

"  After  we  got  the  forces  there  we  did  not  know  what 
we  were  going  to  do  with  them.  We  got  the  men  before 
we  laid  our  plans.  We  sent  here  and  there  and  every- 
where to  famous  preachers  and  singers,  and  invited  them 
to  come  to  Chicago.  Then  the  question  came,  '  Now  we 
have  got  our  forces  what  are  we  going  to  do  with  them?' 

"  Let  me  sketch  in  outline  the  plan  of  campaign.  First, 
we  laid  out  three  large  sections.  Chicago  is  naturally 
divided  into  three  sections,  by  the  river :  the  west  side, 
the  south  side,  and  the  north  side.  In  each  one  of  these 
sections  we  had  a  church  center,  these  churches  seating 


TOEREY'S  BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  237 

from  1800  to  2500  people  each,  and  here  we  rallied  our 
forces  for  meetings  every  night  in  the  week  and  several 
services  on  Sunday.  But  we  found  these  centers  were 
not  enough,  and  clustering  around  these  centers  we  had 
to  call* many  other  churches  into  use.  We  did  not  stop 
at  the  churches.  We  next  made  an  assault  upon  the  thea- 
ters. Our  faith  was  rather  small  at  first,  and  we  hired 
but  one  theater,  the  Haymarket,  into  which  we  could 
crowd  3500  people,  and  we  did  crowd  it.  The  Haymarket 
Theater  was  not  large  enough,  so  we  rented  the  Empire 
Theater  across  the  way  and  filled  that,  and  then  we  had 
to  get  the  Standard  Theater,  three  blocks  away,  but  that 
was  not  enough.  Then  we  got  the  Columbia  Theater,  and 
then  we  engaged  Music  Hall  and  held  services  there  every 
day  for  two  hours,  from  eleven  to  one  o'clock,  and  three 
services  on  Sunday.  But  that  was  not  enough,  so  we 
engaged  Hooley  Opera  House.  That  was  not  enough,  so 
we  engaged  the  Grand  Opera  House,  and  on  several  other 
Sundays  other  theaters ;  so  we  had  going  every  Sunday 
six  theaters  in  addition  to  these  churches.  But  we  found 
a  great  number  of  people  living  and  staying  about  the 
Fair  grounds,  and  our  next  question  was  to  get  buildings 
about  the  Fair ;  so  we  got  the  Model  Sunday-school  Build- 
ing, the  Epworth  Hotel  and  the  Christian  Endeavor  Tab- 
ernacle, and,  toward  the  end  of  the  season,  a  theater  seat- 
ing 1800.  That  was  not  enough,  and  so  we  put  up  tem- 
porary buildings.  We  had  five  tents  in  different  parts  of 
the  city.  One  of  the  tents  was  small,  seating  about  400. 
Three  of  them  seated  1000  each,  and  the  fifth  tent  seated 
1500  people.  We  thought  we  had  a  big  enough  tent  then, 
but  we  found  a  seating  capacity  of  1500  was  not  enough ; 
so  we  put  seats  outside  the  tent  for  500  people  more  and 
threw  up  the  curtains  and  had  2000  people  every  night 
after  that.  But  we  found  that  was  not  enough,  so  we 


238  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

sent  on  to  Mr.  Collins,  or  rather  he  sent  on  to  us,  the  gos- 
pel carriage  that  is  owned  by  the  Bureau  of  Supplies,  and 
we  went  about  in  that  to  different  parts  of  the  city  hold- 
ing meetings ;  but  that  was  not  enough,  so  we  went  out 
into  the  open  air  and  held  meetings  in  different  parts  of 
the  city.  That  was  not  enough,  and  so  we  had  cottage 
meetings ;  and  that  was  not  enough,  so  we  went  to  the 
jails  and  hospitals  and  police  stations  and  preached  the 
gospel  in  the  jails  to  about  600,  and  in  the  police  stations 
to  the  policemen,  to  those  in  hospitals  and  other  insti- 
tutions. 

"  Now  we  thought  as  long  as  the  whole  world  was  com- 
ing to  Chicago  we  ought  to  try  to  reach  all  nations,  and 
so  we  sent  over  to  Germany  for  Dr.  Stoecker,  the  famous 
preacher — perhaps  the  most  famous  in  the  world — to  come 
over  and  preach  to  the  Germans.  There  was  a  great  deal 
of  opposition  to  his  coming  on  the  part  of  some,  for  they 
said  people  would  not  come  out  to  hear  him.  The  first 
Sunday  he  was  there  Music  Hall  was  packed  to  suffoca- 
tion and  hundreds  were  sent  away.  We  got  a  preacher 
for  the  Swedes,  who  preached  to  1500  of  them  nightly. 
"We  sent  to  Paris  for  a  preacher  to  preach  to  the  French, 
and  one  of  our  own  students  preached  to  the  Bohemians. 
And  so  we  reached  all  these  different  nations  by  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel.  There  was  one  other  source  of  strength, 
and  that  was  the  students  of  the  Institute.  Perhaps  I 
ought  to  say  that  all  this  work  was  conducted  under  the 
leadership  and  in  the  name  of  the  Bible  Institute.  There 
we  had  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  our  command  and 
seventy  women.  Some  of  them  preached,  some  of  them 
sang,  some  of  them  helped  in  the  inquiry  meeting,  and 
all  of  them  were  willing  to  help  in  almost  any  way  they 
could.  Mr.  Moody  said :  '  This  campaign  could  never  have 
been  carried  on  except  for  the  Bible  Institute.  If  there 


TORRET'S  BIRD'S-EYE   VIEW  239 

was  any  part  of  the  city  where  we  needed  to  throw  a  de- 
tachment, we  had  them  at  our  command.  If  we  only  had 
a  few  hours'  notice  we  could  send  fifty  men  over  to  that 
part  of  the  city  and  placard  and  ticket  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood and  fill  a  building.'  So  much  for  the  outline  of 
the  work. 

"  Now  we  come  to  the  interest  that  the  work  awakened. 
And  let  me  say  right  here  that  the  interest  was  far  beyond 
the  expectation  of  any  of  us.  One  thing  will  illustrate 
the  interest,  and  that  was  the  crowds  that  attended  the 
services.  We  had  a  great  many  services,  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  many  services,  every  night,  and  a  hundred  and 
ten  to  a  hundred  and  fifteen  every  Sunday.  The  audi- 
ences on  the  closing  Sundays  of  the  campaign  were  from 
70,000  to  75,000  per  Sunday — rather  a  large  number  of 
persons.  Take,  for  example,  the  Haymarket  Theater, 
where  the  service  was  announced  to  begin  at  half-past 
ten,  and  I  presume  there  are  people  in  this  building  who 
got  there  at  five  minutes  past  ten  and  you  did  not  get 
in.  Fifteen  minutes  before  ten  o'clock  the  street  in  front 
would  be  blocked,  and  when  the  door  was  opened  the 
building,  which  by  excessive  packing  would  accommodate 
3500  people,  would  be  filled  in  five  minutes.  Then  we 
would  tell  them  to  go  three  blocks  below  to  the  Standard 
Theater.  One  Sunday,  after  3500  people  were  in  the  Hay- 
market  and  2300  in  the  Standard,  there  were  1000  turned 
away  to  find  accommodations  where  they  could.  Go  to 
Music  Hall  in  the  afternoon  and  you  would  find  that  full. 
Go  to  Immanuel  Church  on  Michigan  Avenue  for  the 
three-o'clock  service  and  you  would  find  that  full,  and 
every  night  at  seven  o'clock  you  would  find  the  church 
packed  to  suffocation  with  from  2200  to  2500  people ;  and 
go  three  blocks  away  to  the  Plymouth  Church  and  you 
would  find  that  full  and  people  turned  away.  I  never 


240  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMP  Aid  X 

saw  such  hunger  to  hear  the  Word  of  God  in  my  life. 
People  would  come  at  ten  o'clock  and  stay  until  twelve 
o'clock.  When  Mr.  Moody  was  through  preaching  he 
would  say,  'Now  I  have  a  friend  I  want  you  to  hear,' 
while  I  stood  there  in  fear  and  trembling.  I  was  afraid 
that  everybody  would  go.  We  stood  up  to  sing  a  hymn, 
and  he  said  that  any  who  wanted  to  go  could  do  so,  but 
nearly  everybody  stayed  to  hear  the  next  speaker.  That 
sort  of  thing  went  on  week  after  week.  Toward  the  end 
of  the  campaign  we  held  three  all-day  meetings  in  Music 
Hall.  We  began  at  half-past  nine  in  the  morning  and 
closed  at  half-past  three  in  the  afternoon.  The  people 
were  there  as  soon  as  the  doors  opened,  and  at  two  of 
those  meetings  I  watched  the  audience,  and  I  believe  there 
were  over  a  thousand  people  who  stayed  right  through 
without  a  mouthful  to  eat,  from  half -past  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing to  half -past  three  in  the  afternoon ;  and  I  have  a  sus- 
picion if  we  had  gone  on  to  six  or  half -past  they  would 
have  stayed  there  still.  Perhaps  the  best  illustration  of 
the  interest  in  the  meetings  was  '  Chicago  Day.'  As  you 
know,  Chicago  Day  was  the  great  day  of  the  Fair,  and 
everybody  went  to  the  Fair  on  Chicago  Day,  or  they  Avere 
expected  to.  Over  700,000  people,  in  point  of  fact,  did 
pass  through  the  gates  of  the  Fair.  The  question  came 
up  as  to  whether  we  would  try  to  hold  a  meeting  on  Chi- 
cago Day,  and  it  was  decided  that  we  would,  and  that 
right  in  the  very  heat  of  the  day,  from  ten  o'clock  till 
half -past  two.  We  went  down  to  Music  Hall  wondering 
whether  any  one  would  come  or  not,  and  we  found  the 
hall  packed  full  and  people  turned  away.  At  one  of 
our  all-day  meetings  where  I  was  to  preside,  and  where  I 
thought  it  would  be  easy  to  get  in,  they  came  near  losing 
their  presiding  officer,  for  I  could  not  get  in  myself  till  I 
found  a  back  door  and  got  to  my  seat  upon  the  platform. 


TORRE T'S  BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  241 

"  Another  thing  that  showed  the  interest  in  the  Word 
of  God  was  the  fact  that  people  from  different  places  stay- 
ing only  a  few  days  at  the  Fair,  having  perhaps  only  one 
opportunity  to  see  the  fireworks,  would  turn  their  backs 
upon  some  of  the  best  pyrotechnic  displays  ever  produced, 
and  go  to  the  Model  Sunday-school  Building  or  into  the 
Epworth  Hotel.  While  the  rockets  and  while  the  different 
kinds  of  fireworks  were  bursting  in  the  air,  they  turned 
their  backs  upon  the  whole  scene  and  went  into  those 
places  to  hear  the  Word  of  God.  Women  would  go  ele- 
gantly dressed  to  those  meetings  and  find  every  seat  taken ; 
but  they  would  be  so  interested  they  would  sit  down  on 
the  bare  floor  of  the  tent  in  order  to  get  an  opportunity 
to  listen.  One  night  there  was  a  great  storm  of  rain,  and 
it  blew  in  under  the  sides  of  the  tent,  and  the  water  stood 
in  puddles  on  the  floor  of  the  tent,  and  the  question  was, 
should  there  be  a  meeting ;  but  there  was  a  unanimous 
vote  for  the  meeting,  and  there  they  sat,  with  the  rain 
coming  down  through  the  roof  and  blowing  in  under  the 
sides,  and  gathering  in  pools  on  the  floor,  so  hungry  were 
they  to  hear  the  Word  of  God.  The  question  has  often 
been  asked,  Where  do  these  people  that  attend  the  meet- 
ings come  from  ?  One  of  the  Chicago  papers,  or  rather 
one  of  the  reporters,  said  to  Mr.  Moody  one  day, '  You  are 
not  reaching  World's  Fair  people.  These  are  all  Chicago 
people.'  So  we  got  into  the  habit  of  putting  it  to  vote 
to  find  out  how  many  were  World's  Fair  people,  and  time 
and  time  again,  when  we  made  a  test,  seven  eighths,  nine 
tenths,  and  sometimes  nineteen  twentieths  of  the  audience 
would  stand  up,  testifying  they  were  not  Chicago  people 
but  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth.  A  great  many 
people  who  came  up  to  the  World's  Fair  dropped  into  oar 
meetings  and  went  to  our  meetings  more  than  they  did  to 
the  Fair.  I  think  a  good  many  people  came  to  Chicago 


242  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

to  go  to  the  Fair  who  never  went  there  at  all.  I  remem- 
ber one  gentleman,  to  whom  I  was  talking  one  day,  said, 
'  I  came  to  take  in  the  World's  Fair,  but  I  have  not  been 
to  the  World's  Fair.  I  have  been  at  your  lectures  here 
every  morning,  and  I  go  to  your  meetings  every  night.' 

"  Some  one  will  say,  '  What  was  the  result  of  this  work, 
and  did  it  pay  for  the  large  expenditure  of  money  ? '  It 
did  cost  money.  It  cost  a  good  many  thousand  dollars. 
What  were  the  results  of  the  work  ?  The  first  result  was 
that  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  heard 
the  gospel  in  its  simplicity  and  power,  many  who  had 
never  heard  it  before.  I  was  trying  to  figure  it  up  as  I 
came  down  to-night,  and  as  near  as  I  can  get  at  it  two 
million  people,  not  different  people,  but  two  million  people 
heard  the  gospel  in  our  various  services  this  summer,  and 
quite  likely  more  than  that.  The  next  thing  in  the  way 
of  results  was  conversions.  You  ask  me,  How  many  con- 
versions ?  I  cannot  tell  you.  I  do  not  believe  in  count- 
ing conversions  anyhow,  but  this  I  do  know,  that  there 
were  scores  in  single  meetings  that  gave  evidence  of  hav- 
ing accepted  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Saviour.  Let  me  give 
a  single  illustration  of  the  last  meeting  in  Haymarket 
Theater.  At  the  close  of  that  service  everybody  who  had 
determined  that  morning  to  accept  Christ  was  invited  to 
come  up  and  shake  hands  with  me,  and  receive  a  little 
book  on  the  Christian  life ;  and  there  I  stood  in  front  of 
the  platform,  I  know  not  how  long,  and  a  great  line  of 
young  men,  old  men,  young  women,  and  middle-aged 
women  came  up  one  after  another,  and  I  put  to  them  the 
question,  '  Have  you  decided  to  take  Jesus  Christ  as  your 
personal  Saviour  and  confess  him  before  the  world  from 
this  time?'  and  that  great,  long  line  of  men  and  women, 
young  and  old,  came  up  and  said, '  Yes.'  That  same  night, 
in  Immanuel  Baptist  Church,  in  the  south  part  of  the 


TORRE? 'S  BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  243 

city,  I  stood  in  front  of  the  pulpit  with  the  same  question, 
and  man  after  man  and  woman  after  woman  came  up  and 
said  they  had  accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  night. 

"  Another  of  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  work  was 
the  number  of  young  men  reached.  A  very  large  propor- 
tion of  the  audiences  were  young  men,  and  a  very  large 
proportion  of  those  who  accepted  Christ  were  young  men. 
For  example,  in  a  single  meeting — it  was  a  very  notable 
meeting — a  hundred  and  eighteen  young  men  stood  up 
to  say  definitely  and  clearly  that  that  afternoon  they  had 
taken  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their  personal  Saviour. 
Now  these  men  came  from  all  classes  of  society,  and  some 
of  the  converts  were  of  a  veiy  notable  character.  For 
example,  our  meetings  in  the  Empire  Theater  and  Stand- 
ard Theater  were  different  from  most  of  the  others.  They 
were  practically  slum  meetings.  In  one  of  these  meetings 
there  sat  a  civilized  Indian  who  was  engaged  as  an  en- 
gineer, but  he  had  never  heard  the  gospel.  As  he  sat 
there  and  heard  of  the  love  of  God  he  trusted  in  Jesus 
Christ  as  his  Saviour.  The  moment  he  accepted  Christ 
his  heart  went  out  to  his  fellow-Indians.  He  came  to  my 
brother  and  said, '  Are  you  a  preacher  ? '  'I  preach  some- 
times.' '  I  have  got  a  lot  of  Indians  down  here.  They 
are  medicine-men  living  down  here  in  an  alley,  and  I  want 
you  to  come  down  and  preach  to  them.'  And  he  took  my 
brother  away  down  to  that  alley  where  those  Indian  medi- 
cine-men were  gathered,  and  he  preached  the  gospel  to 
them.  He  said  it  was  the  most  attentive  audience  he  ever 
had.  He  took  my  brother  to  his  home  and  pointed  to  his 
little  boy,  five  years  old,  and  said :  '  Do  you  see  that  boy  ? 
Well,  I  heard  your  brother  preach  about  the  love  of  God, 
and  I  have  accepted  Jesus  Christ  as  my  Saviour.  I  had 
never  heard  about  the  love  of  God  before.  I  have  conse- 
crated that  boy  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  am  going  to  bring 


244  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

him  up  to  preach  the  gospel  and  send  him  to  preach  to 
the  Indians.' 

"  Quite  a  large  number  of  actors  were  converted  in  the 
meetings.  I  want  to  say  we  not  only  used  these  regular 
places  for  meetings,  but  when  anything  extraordinary 
came  along  we  used  that.  For  example,  Forepaugh's  circus 
spent  two  Sundays  in  Chicago,  and  we  engaged  their  tent, 
which  accommodated  15000  people.  Those  who  could  not 
find  seats  stood  up  in  the  arena,  and  it  was  estimated  that 
15000  or  20000  people  came  to  the  circus  to  hear  about 
the  love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  a  terribly  hot 
day,  and  it  seemed  as  if  we  would  all  die  before  the  service 
was  over ;  but  there  that  great  crowd  of  men  and  women 
sat  and  stood  beneath  the  overheated  canvas,  the  perspira- 
tion rolling  down  their  faces,  and  listened  to  the  gospel. 
Among  those  brought  to  Christ  on  that  morning  was  an 
actor,  a  man  who  had  made  a  wreck  of  his  life  through 
strong  drink.  A  large  number  of  men  and  their  wives 
were  brought  to  Christ.  Some  people  from  the  very  high- 
est classes  of  society  were  converted.  For  example,  among 
the  young  men  converted  is  one  of  whom  I  will  tell  you. 
A  certain  business  man  who  has  business  interests  in 
Chicago,  who  gives  us  thousands  of  dollars  every  year  for 
our  work,  and  has  given  us  several  thousand  dollars  this 
year,  had  an  unconverted  son.  He  was  deeply  interested 
in  him.  This  boy  came  to  Chicago  and  came  to  our  meet- 
ings in  Haymarket  Theater.  One  night  at  the  close  of  the 
service  he  walked  up  on  to  the  stage,  took  Mr.  Moody  by 
the  hand,  and  told  him  he  had  accepted  Jesus  Christ  as 
his  Saviour.  That  father  thinks  he  has  invested  his  thou- 
sands well. 

"The  best  part  of  the  results,  however,  was  not  the 
conversions.  You  may  be  surprised  at  the  statement,  but 
I  think  it  is  true  that  the  best  part  of  the  work  was  not 


TOIiHEY'S  BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  245 

the  conversions,  although  I  suppose  if  we  were  to  number 
them  there  would  be  thousands  who  accepted  Jesus  Christ 
as  their  Saviour  this  summer  in  our  meetings.  The  best 
part  of  the  work  was  the  arousing  and  instructing  of 
Christians.  Christians  came  to  Chicago  from  all  over  the 
world.  They  came  to  our  meetings,  and  many  of  them 
received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Many  others 
were  stimulated  to  Christian  work.  They  have  gone  back 
to  their  homes.  In  various  parts  of  this  country,  North, 
South,  East,  and  West,  little  fires  of  revival  interest  have 
been  kindled  because  of  what  these  people  heard  in  Chi- 
cago. I  do  not  know,  but  I  presume  there  are  many  here 
to-night  who  could  stand  up  and  testify  that  some  one 
went  from  their  community  to  Chicago  and  came  back  on 
fire,  and  interest  has  been  awakened  in  their  community. 
Hundreds  of  ministers  were  stirred  up  to  new  devotion 
and  new  power  in  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"  On  one  of  the  closing  Sunday  mornings  of  the  cam- 
paign, when  the  Haymarket  Theater  overflowed,  and  the 
overflow  meeting  had  filled  the  Standard  Theater,  where 
I  had  gone  to  preach,  I  looked  over  the  audience,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  whole  audience  was  largely  com- 
posed of  Christians,  and  I  put  to  them  the  question,  '  How 
many  of  you  are  strangers  in  Chicago  ? '  There  were  2500 
people  in  the  theater,  all  we  could  pack  in,  and  we  had  to 
turn  several  hundred  away  that  morning.  That  whole 
audience  rose.  I  could  not  see  ten  people  in  that  whole 
audience  that  did  not  rise  to  their  feet.  As  I  looked  into 
their  faces  I  became  very  confident  they  were  not  only 
strangers  but  Christian  people,  and  I  saw  a  great  many 
ministers  of  the  gospel ;  so,  looking  np  to  God  for  guid- 
ance, I  chose  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  of  God  as  the  sub- 
ject to  speak  upon.  At  the  close  of  the  service  a  fine- 
looking  gentleman  came  to  me  on  the  platform  and  said : 


246  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

1  Sir,  I  have  not  this  baptism  you  have  been  talking  about. 
I  am  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  a  Presbyterian  minister. 
I  have  had  fruit  in  my  ministry,  but  I  do  not  believe  I 
have  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  want 
you  to  pray  for  me  that  I  may  receive  it.'  i  Why  not  here 
and  now  ? '  I  said.  He  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  said, 
'  I  will.'  We  turned  around  and  knelt  by  the  chair,  and 
another  gentleman  came  up  and  said,  '  Can  I  kneel  with 
you?'  I  said,  '  Certainly.'  We  knelt  in  prayer.  I  prayed, 
and  this  Presbyterian  minister  prayed,  and  the  other  gen- 
tleman prayed.  When  we  arose  to  our  feet  I  turned  to 
the  other  gentleman  and  said:  'Are  you  a  minister?' 
1  No,  I  am  a  judge ;  but,  friends,  I  am  a  Christian  and  a 
Sunday-school  superintendent,  and  I  need  the  baptism  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  as  much  as  a  minister  does.'  Now  this 
thing  happened :  ministers  and  laymen,  young  men  and 
young  women  from  societies  of  Christian  Endeavor  all 
over  this  country,  came  up  to  Chicago,  heard  the  possibil- 
ity of  a  higher  phase  of  Christian  life  presented,  and  I  be- 
lieve this  winter  all  over  the  United  States  of  America  we 
are  going  to  see  an  evangelistic  interest  kindled  through 
the  work  done  in  Chicago  this  summer. 

"  One  thing  more  I  wish  to  say  before  I  sit  down.  We 
learned  four  lessons  this  summer.  -  Four  things  were  dem- 
onstrated. The  first  was  that  the  summer  is  a  good  time 
to  do  aggressive  Christian  work.  You  believe  that  already 
in  the  South,  but  it  is  not  believed  in  the  North.  The 
view  in  the  North  is  that  the  time  to  do  active  work  is  in 
January,  right  after  the  Week  of  Prayer,  and  perhaps  keep 
it  up  till  May,  certainly  not  later  than  June,  and  then  let 
up  till  the  fall  comes  around.  We  demonstrated  in  Chi- 
cago this  summer  that  the  summer  was  the  very  best  time 
to  reach  men  with  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God. 

"  Another  thing  that  we  demonstrated  was — it  needed 


TORREY'S  BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  247 

no  demonstration,  however — that  the  old  gospel  had  lost 
nothing  of  its  power.  You  hear  it  oftentimes  said  to-day 
that  you  have  got  to  get  up  some  new  doctrine.,  some  new 
views  of  truth,  to  reach  men  and  hold  them.  You  notice 
these  men  that  get  up  new  views  and  new  doctrines  don't 
hold  the  people  very  long ;  but  the  old  gospel  does  hold 
them.  The  only  thing  preached  in  our  churches  or  thea- 
ters or  tents  was  the  simple  doctrine  of  the  atoning  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God  and  the  power  of  the  gospel  to  save 
perishing  men,  and  people  came  by  the  thousands,  came 
by  the  ten  thousands — until  we  had  to  turn  them  away — 
just  to  hear  the  old  story  of  the  cross  and  the  power  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  save.  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  quite  fair  to 
tell  it  here,  but  I  think  you  will  permit  it.  A  man  came 
to  Chicago  this  summer  with  the  idea  that  a  new  theology 
would  draw  great  crowds.  He  had  been  invited  to  speak 
at  one  of  our  congresses,  one  of  our  religious  congresses. 
He  was  completely  infatuated  with  his  new  theology 
views,  and  he  wrote  a  paper.  It  was  the  effort  of  his  life. 
Then  he  passed  it  around  to  his  friends  for  criticism. 
Then  he  re-shaped  it  and  sent  it  around  again.  He  re- 
wrote that  paper  four  times.  Then  he  thought  he  had  it 
perfect,  and  came  to  Chicago  to  read  it.  He  had  visions 
of  Columbus  Hall  with  a  great  throng  of  thousands  of 
people  gathered  to  listen  to  this  great  effort  of  his  life. 
The  hour  to  deliver  that  paper  came,  and  with  trembling 
and  with  expectation  he  went  into  the  hall  and  looked 
over  his  audience,  and  he  had  sixteen  women  and  two 
men  to  hear  his  paper.  But,  friends,  the  old  gospel  did 
not  have  to  look  out  on  an  audience  of  sixteen  women 
and  two  men ;  but  oftentimes  011  an  audience  of  thou- 
sands of  men  alone,  3500  one  time,  7000  another  time, 
15000  another  time,  gathered  in  one  place  to  listen  to  the 
old  gospel  as  we  find  it  in  the  "Word  of  God. 


248  WORLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

"  Another  thing  we  demonstrated  this  summer  is  that 
all  you  have  to  do  to  reach  the  masses  is  what  President 
Candler  told  you  this  afternoon,  '  Go  and  reach  them.' 

"  The  fourth  and  last  thing  we  demonstrated — and  that 
don't  need  any  demonstration — is  the  power  of  prayer. 
If  you  were  to  ask  me  to-night  what  I  thought  was  the 
great  secret  of  this  marvelous  success,  I  would  say  it  was . 
this :  that  the  leaders  in  this  movement  looked  up  to  God 
to  give  the  victory  and  expected  him  to  do  it  and  he  did 
it.  We  were  disappointed  in  men.  Some  of  the  men 
whom  we  expected  the  most  of  we  got  the  least  out  of, 
and  some  of  the  men  we  expected  least  out  of  we  got  the 
most  out  of.  But  we  were  never  disappointed  in  God.  He 
helped  us  all  along  the  line.  He  helped  us  in  getting  the 
blessing  in  the  meetings,  he  helped  us  in  overcoming  ob- 
stacles, and  he  helped  us  in  getting  the  money  we  needed. 
I  do  not  know  how  many  thousands  of  dollars  it  cost. 
We  are  figuring  that  up  now.  I  presume  they  know  now, 
but  they  did  not  know  when  I  left  Chicago ;  but,  friends, 
it  was  in  answer  to  prayer  that  money  came.  I  do  not 
mean  that  people  were  not  asked  to  give,  because  they 
were  asked  to  give  all  over  this  country,  and  they  did 
give  most  generously;  but  time  and  time  again  we  got 
into  a  corner  and  there  was  no  man  to  go  to,  and  we  went 
to  God,  who  brought  us  out  of  our  difficulty.  Let  me 
give  you  a  single  illustration  of  that.  It  was  in  August. 
Mr.  Moody  had  to  go  East.  It  was  near  the  10th  of  the 
month.  We  pay  part  of  our  bills  on  the  1st  of  the  month 
and  part  on  the  10th.  Four  thousand  dollars  had  to  be 
paid  on  the  10th  of  that  month.  Mr.  Moody  was  to  go 
away  in  a  day  or  two,  and  there  was  no  money  to  pay  it. 
We  did  not  know  what  to  do.  Mr.  Moody  gathered  some 
of  us  together,  the  inner  circle  of  workers,  at  the  dinner- 
table  in  his  room.  A  great  burden  was  upon  his  heart. 


TOEEEY'S  EIED'S-EYE    VIEW  249 

He  did  not  know  where  the  money  was  to  come  from.  I 
do  not  think  he  was  discouraged ;  but  I  think  he  was  as 
near  discouraged  as  I  ever  saw  him  in  my  life.  We  sat 
down  to  that  table.  Just  before  we  were  seated  a  letter 
came  inclosing  an  English  letter  of  credit  for  nearly  a 
thousand  dollars.  There  was  a  prayer  going  up  from  the 
heart  of  Mr.  Moody  and  from  the  hearts  of  two  or  three 
others  who  knew  of  the  dilemma  we  were  in.  As  we  sat 
at  that  dinner-table  a  man  came  in  with  a  telegram.  He 
took  it  to  Mr.  Moody.  Mr.  Moody  opened  the  telegram 
and  then  passed  it  down  to  me.  That  telegram  read: 
'  Your  friends  at  Northfield  have  given  to-day  as  a  free- 
will offering  six  thousand  dollars  for  your  work  in  Chi- 
cago, and  there  is  more  to  follow.'  Four  thousand  dollars 
more  did  follow,  ten  thousand  in  all.  Friends,  need  I  tell 
you  we  did  not  finish  that  meal  ?  We  pushed  back  with 
one  accord  from  the  table,  and  knelt  by  our  chairs,  and 
with  tears  and  sobs  lifted  our  hearts  in  gratitude  to  God. 
He  had  heard  our  cry,  and  while  we  were  yet  speaking 
had  answered  our  prayer.  And  so  it  was  all  this  summer. 
Men  often  failed  us,  difficulties  often  came,  but  we  had 
one  Friend  that  always  stood  by  us,  and  when  money  ran 
short,  when  the  meetings  grew  dull,  when  obstacles  came 
up  and  doors  seemed  closed,  we  went  alone  with  God  and 
we  looked  up  to  God  for  his  blessing  and  for  his  power, 
and  God  heard  us  every  time.  The  money  came  and  the 
obstacles  went,  and,  best  of  all,  the  Spirit  of  God  came 
down." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

CONCLUDING  ESTIMATES. 

IT  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  World's  Fair  Gospel 
Campaign  marks  an  epoch  in  Christian  evangelism.  It 
was  a  distinct,  new  departure,  a  "  forward  movement "  on 
a  new  track.  Out  of  it  will  doubtless  grow  results  as 
far-reaching  as  anything  that  Mr.  Moody  has  ever  done. 
There  is  no  doubt  that,  as  one  result  of  the  lessons  there 
learned,  evangelistic  work  will  be  organized  with  different 
methods  and  on  a  larger  scale  than  ever  before.  Some 
hoary  old  fallacies  about  the  impossibility  of  maintaining 
religious  services  in  summer  and  about  the  unattractive- 
ness  of  gospel  meetings  forever  lost  their  grip  in  Chicago 
during  those  days.  It  is  true,  as  Mr.  Moody  says,  that 
there  is  nothing  more  attractive  than  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  presented  in  sermon  and  song,  with  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  Boston  Congregationalist  says:  "Mr.  Moody's  six 
months'  campaign  in  Chicago  has  been  a  marvelous  suc- 
cess, greater  than  even  he  had  anticipated.  Looked  at 
from  the  human  side  alone,  it  has  not  been  any  less  won- 
derful than  the  Fair  itself  and  its  allied  congresses.  If 
the  display  in  Jackson  Park  appealed  to  the  eye  and  the 
aesthetic  sense,  the  congresses  in  the  Art  Palace  to  the  in- 
tellect and  the  love  of  knowledge,  Mr.  Moody's  meetings 
have  appealed  to  the  religious  sense.  Hundreds  of  thou- 
sands from  every  section  of  the  country  and  from  all  over 

250 


COSCLVDIXG   ESTIMATES  251 

the  world  have  heard  the  gospel  from  the  lips  of  the  great 
evangelist  or  from  some  one  of  his  helpers. 

"  During  this  entire  period  the  interest  has  increased 
rather  than  diminished.  From  Mr.  Moody  himself  it  has 
been  the  same  old  story,  almost  in  the  very  words  which 
he  has  used  for  a  score  of  years,  but  it  has  lost  none  of  its 
freshness,  none  of  its  influence  on  the  multitude.  What 
a  testimony  to  the  power  of  the  gospel  were  those  all-day 
meetings  in  Central  Music  Hall,  where  hundreds  were  un- 
able to  secure  entrance !  All  summer  the  tents  used  in 
certain  sections  of  the  city  have  been  crowded.  The  meet- 
ings in  theaters,  too,  have  been  very  popular.  Even  the 
owners  of  these  theaters  are  said  to  have  been  favorably 
disposed  toward  Mr.  Moody  and  inclined  to  aid  him  in 
his  work.  But  the  churches  have  not  been  empty  when 
Mr.  Moody  or  any  of  his  helpers  were  announced  to  speak. 
Nor,  in  general,  has  there  been  any  lack  of  attendants 
when  the  regular  pastors  have  spoken. 

"The  summer  campaign  in  Chicago  has  shown  that 
people  are  not  weary  of  the  gospel,  that  when  preachers 
present  it  with  earnestness  they  are  not  unwilling  to  go 
into  the  churches  to  hear  it.  It  has  proved,  also,  that  no 
men  are  more  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  people,  or 
more  anxious  to  do  them  good,  or  more  eager  to  bring 
them  the  gospel  as  it  is  found  in  the  New  Testament, 
than  the  pastors  of  the  various  evangelical  churches  in 
our  cities.  Without  the  aid  of  these  pastors  Mr.  Moody's 
success  would  have  been  far  less  than  it  has  proved  to  be." 

The  editor  of  the  Up  worth  Herald,  in  a  review  of  the 
work,  says :  "  The  evangelistic  campaign  carried  on  during 
the  whole  period  of  the  Fair  under  Mr.  Moody's  direction 
did  not  attract  as  much  attention  as  its  importance  and 
usefulness  deserved.  Nevertheless  it  accomplished  a  vast 
amount  of  good.  Mr.  Moody  did  not  plan  a  series  of  re- 


252  WORLD 'S  FAIR    CAMP  AWN 

vival  services.  While  soul- winning  was  kept  in  view,  the 
primary  design  of  the  meetings  was  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  the  tens  of  thousands  who  thronged  here,  and  compel 
the  people  to  think  upon  religious  things.  The  inspira- 
tion and  authority  of  the  Scriptures,  the  follies  of  infi- 
delity, the  danger  of  worldliness,  human  responsibility, 
personal  accountability,  the  certainty  of  punishment,  and 
kindred  themes,  were  emphasized  in  no  uncertain  terms. 
Calls  to  slumbering  Christians  and  careless  sinners  were 
full  of  tenderness,  eagerness,  and  warmth. 

"  Concerning  the  practical  results  of  the  campaign  it  is 
difficult  to  speak  with  exactness.  The  congregations  wei«e 
gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  They  were  con- 
stantly changing.  Many  persons  heard  the  evangelists 
only  once.  The  fruitage  of  labor  put  forth  under  such 
circumstances  cannot  be  gathered  right  away.  But  some- 
where and  at  some  time  the  harvest  will  appear.  No  figures 
can  represent  the  impression  left  upon  thousands  of  per- 
sons who,  but  for  these  extraordinaiy  meetings  (the  or- 
dinary services  at  the  churches  were  crowded),  might  not 
have  heard  the  gospel  warning  and  the  gospel  call.  The 
chief  aim  of  the  campaign,  as  I  have  said,  was  not  revival- 
istic.  The  effort  was  to  preach  and  sing  the  gospel  to  the 
surging  thousands,  and  neutralize,  to  the  greatest  possible 
extent,  the  bad  influences  which  beset  World's  Fair  visi- 
tors. In  reaching  this  result  the  effort  seems  to  have  been 
signally  successful.  This  Moody  campaign  will  undoubt- 
edly go  into  history  as  one  of  the  most  sagacious  and  in- 
fluential religious  movements  of  this  ceutury." 

The  editor  of  the  Ram's  Horn,  who  had  every  facility 
for  studying  and  participating  in  the  movement,  says : 
"  Never  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  buch  a  time  known 
in  religious  annals  as  that  through  which  Chicago  passed 
during  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  season.  Wliile 


CONCLUDING  ESTIMATES  253 

\ve  have  watched  the  World's  Parliament  of  Religions  with 
wonder,  we  felt  as  we  might  if  witnessing  some  grand  re- 
view of  marshaled  hosts ;  but  when  with  inteuser  interest 
we  turned  to  see  this  most  remarkable  battle  for  truth 
and  right  and  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  our 
midst,  it  seamed  as  though  we  were  watching  the  militant 
hosts  of  Immauuel  moving  into  action  and  striking  the 
very  strongholds  of  satanic  power,  not  only  in  Chicago, 
but  the  whole  world  over.  As  far  as  our  farthest  guests 
shall  go  to  their  distant  homes  will  the  influences  of  this 
wonderful  work  follow  and  be  felt  forever.  .  .  . 

"  From  the  farthest  suburbs  to  the  very  center  of  civic 
life,  in  the  most  beautiful  quarters,  along  magnificent 
boulevards,  to  the  lowest  slums  of  our  city,  the  effect  of 
this  movement  has  been  felt.  But  Chicago  is  not  the  only 
place  to  be  benefited  by  this  wonderful  work.  The  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  which  thronged  these  great  gatherings 
came  from  every  land  on  earth.  Every  State  in  the  great 
Republic  sent  a  host  of  representatives.  Returning  to 
their  homes  over  the  whole  wide  world,  they  have  taken 
with  them  the  influences  of  the  lessons  to  which  they  have 
listened,  the  songs  they  have  heard,  and  the  enthusiasm 
here  inspired. 

"  To  sum  up  the  results  of  such  a  work  is  impossible 
for  man.  It  cannot  be  measured  in  time,  for  eternity 
alone  can  tell,  and  God  alone  knows,  how  many  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  hearts  have  been  and  will  be  reached." 

The  Union  Signal  begins  an  editorial  review  of  the  work 
of  the  six  months  with  the  following  words :  "  Among  the 
many  and  diverse  movements  more  or  less  directly  con- 
nected with  the  Fair,  there  was  one  unique  in  its  concep- 
tion, unparalleled  in  its  success,  world- wide  in  its  influence, 
and  yet  one  concerning  which  the  newspapers  had  com- 
paratively little  to  say,  and  whose  magnitude  and  signifi- 


254  TTOKLD'S  FAIR   CAMPAIGN 

cance  is  perhaps  the  least  appreciated  of  any  of  the  adjuncts 
of  the  exposition.  It  is  the  movement  which  Mr.  Torrey 
aptly  calls  the  '"World's  Fair  City  Evangelization  Cam- 
paign.' By  the  side  of  this  great,  victorious,  peaceful 
campaign  of  faith  for  the  redemption  of  the  world,  the 
bloody  campaigns  of  the  Napoleons  of  earth  pale  into  in- 
significance." 

The  article  concludes  with  these  words :  "  If  any  have 
mourned  '  as  those  without  hope '  over  the  Sunday  open- 
ing of  the  Fair,  the  triumph  of  the  liquor  traffic  in  the 
White  City,  if  they  have  supposed  that  sin  held  undis- 
puted sway  in  the  World's  Fair  city,  and  only  demoraliza- 
tion has  attended  the  great  Exposition,  let  him  take  cour- 
age. We  believe  that  the  '  World's  Fair  City  Evangeliza- 
tion Campaign '  wrought  more  effectively  for  the  kingdom 
of  God  than  all  the  combined  forces  of  evil  were  able  to 
accomplish  against  it." 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  it  is  impossible  to  tabulate 
the  good  results  of  a  work  such  as  has  been  so  imperfectly 
described.  Figures  and  records  fail  to  embrace  the  whole 
fact.  It  must  suffice  to  say  here  that  multitudes  of  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  the  unconverted,  as  well  as  pro- 
fessed Christians,  were  savingly  affected  by  the  gospel 
preached  and  sung.  Conversions  were  a  daily  occurrence, 
sometimes  numbering  scores  in  a  single  service,  especially 
in  the  theaters  and  the  tents,  where  some  of  the  lowest 
and  the  vilest  from  the  city  slums  were  gloriously  saved, 
as  well  as  many  a  wild,  reckless  visitor  from  afar,  while 
without  doubt  many  thousands  of  Christians  were  re- 
newed, instructed,  strengthened,  and  inspired  for  better 
life  and  service. 

In  any  attempt  to  estimate  results  the  remarkable  fact 
must  be  kept  in  mind  that  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands 
who  thronged  the  meeting-places,  an  immense  majority 


CONCLUDING   ESTIMATES  255 

were  World's  Fair  visitors  from  all  parts  of  this  and  other 
lands,  and  that  the  congregations  were  daily  changing 
and  daily  IICAV.  It  is  not  in  Chicago,  therefore,  that  the 
fruits  of  the  six  mouths'  labor  must  be  sought;  but  in 
every  State  in  the  Union,  and  in  other  lands,  wherever 
the  millions  who  streamed  in  and  out  of  Chicago  during 
the  Fair  have  gone  back  to  their  homes  and  churches, 
there  the  greatest  results  may  be  expected  to  become  mani- 
fest as  the  days  go  by. 

Another  remarkable  fact  to  be  noted  in  such  an  estimate 
is  the  large  number  of  preachers,  students,  and  Christian 
workers  of  all  kinds  who  were  in  attendance  upon  the 
meetings ;  as,  for  example,  at  the  Fair  grounds,  where  not 
less  than  one  thousand  preachers  were  present  during  the 
meetings  of  a  single  week,  and  in  Central  Music  Hall  from 
one  hundred  to  two  hundred  at  a  single  service,  while 
in  all  the  principal  meetings  the  ministers  constituted  an 
important  part  of  the  congregations.  These  facts  alone 
warrant  the  confident  expectation  of  far-reaching  results 
of  revival  and  renewal  in  churches  and  homes  throughout 
the  land  whither  these  people,  with  their  renewed  love 
and  zeal,  have  gone. 


